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

That said ... I didn't enjoy running the 26.2, and while I didn't have the same #done feeling I had during WDW Marathon, I also didn't feel at all motivated at any time to do another marathon.
This was my last marathon, and I'm totally cool with that.
I approached my first marathon with the attitude of we'll see how this goes as I did not want to put the pressure on myself of "this is my only opportunity to ever run a marathon so I will feel like a complete failure if I don't finish." Now in training for marathon number two, I feel like this may well be my last marathon. And I'm okay with that. The training is extensive and requires a lot of time and sacrifice. I'm not sure it's something I want to do regularly.
 
I approached my first marathon with the attitude of we'll see how this goes as I did not want to put the pressure on myself of "this is my only opportunity to ever run a marathon so I will feel like a complete failure if I don't finish." Now in training for marathon number two, I feel like this may well be my last marathon. And I'm okay with that. The training is extensive and requires a lot of time and sacrifice. I'm not sure it's something I want to do regularly.

That's pretty much where I'm at. It's too much of a training commitment, and I just don't enjoy it enough for the the time sacrifices to be worth it. So I get what you're saying for sure.
 
Between the people who have told me that I'm definitely going to sign up for another marathon (because it's not like two-and-done has been my plan for 2 years), people who seem shocked that I'm okay with my "probably too slow to be considered running" time, people who criticize my decision to stop and chat with family and friends along the race course, and that one guy who said I don't look like I could run a marathon (it happens to be that I think this guy has some social issues and may not have known that the comment was wrong, but the fact that nobody contradicted him (I was too shocked to say anything) certainly says something) ... I'm basically done with people.

I make my own decisions. I'm not running another marathon. I'd rather chill with friends (which I enjoy) than run the marathon (which I don't). I don't care that my time was slower than "random other stranger who lives an entirely different life than I do" (although I am pissed at the NY Times for not printing all the finishers). Yes, I was walking around just fine in the days after the race, because I made sure to set myself up for a fast recovery, and I don't appreciate your shock at the fact that I didn't drop dead after running the race. I do things my way and make the decisions that are right for me, and anyone who thinks this is just a phase or I'm doing things wrong can just feel free to forget that I exist.

The end.
 
(1) I imagine people are trying to be encouraging, but it seems reasonable to let people know it is not helpful. You do not have to run another marathon ever - YOUR CALL. Maybe you change your mind later, still your call and no one else's. Maybe you decide you want to go to Le Cordon Bleu instead with all that time you wouldn't have to spend stressing out over running. People would have comments about that, too. I think we cannot help ourselves from being unhelpful sometimes.
(2) who gets to decide where the cut off for 'probably too slow to be running' is? Did they assess your gait to determine that your front heel struck the ground before the rear foot left the pavement? And did that happen for 26ish miles? Then they have no standing in this conversation. [I am very irritated by this]
(3) Why would you not?! You still finished within the course time, you increased your enjoyment, and were not missing out on any prize money, so in the scheme of things, taking a break seems only wise. [disclaimer: I stopped and waited for the France Pavilion to open so I could grab a mimosa, so I am fine leaving time on the course. It was awesomely fun and part of why I wanted to run the race.]
(4) I wonder how the people at the front have enough muscle mass to propel themselves, so I am also far to judgey on this front.
(5) way to set yourself up for a great recovery! To me that is key. If you destroy yourself to get a finish or a time, and then have to not do other things you want to, it is not a good trade off.
 


I make my own decisions. I'm not running another marathon. I'd rather chill with friends (which I enjoy) than run the marathon (which I don't). I don't care that my time was slower than "random other stranger who lives an entirely different life than I do" (although I am pissed at the NY Times for not printing all the finishers). Yes, I was walking around just fine in the days after the race, because I made sure to set myself up for a fast recovery, and I don't appreciate your shock at the fact that I didn't drop dead after running the race. I do things my way and make the decisions that are right for me, and anyone who thinks this is just a phase or I'm doing things wrong can just feel free to forget that I exist.
I've said it before and I will most certainly say it again. Running is a very individual thing. And it requires a lot of time and sacrifice. In order to train for a race, you will have to give up something else you want to do because of that race. The marathon is obviously a very different animal than the shorter distances. So you make the decision that is best for you and works with your life. You set out to accomplish 2 marathons on your terms. Don't let anyone else take your accomplishments away from you because you somehow didn't meet their expectations.


You still finished within the course time, you increased your enjoyment, and were not missing out on any prize money, so in the scheme of things, taking a break seems only wise. [disclaimer: I stopped and waited for the France Pavilion to open so I could grab a mimosa, so I am fine leaving time on the course. It was awesomely fun and part of why I wanted to run the race.]

(5) way to set yourself up for a great recovery! To me that is key. If you destroy yourself to get a finish or a time, and then have to not do other things you want to, it is not a good trade off.
One of my favorite photos from the marathon is of me with the Incredibles just after we entered DHS and I have the ice bag on my head. While the characters gave me some good natured "teasing" as to why I had an ice bag on my head, I decided to keep it on my head because it told the story of the race at that point. It was a very warm day and that ice bag helped me keep going. Plus, I did not want to bend over unless I absolutely had to. I ran that race on my terms and had a much better time doing so on my terms.

I agree entirely on the recovery front. A faster recovery also makes for a far more enjoyable marathon experience.
 
I have found that people have opinions on everything and cannot wait to share them. I do agree with @TheHamm that others are probably trying to be encouraging when they say you will run another marathon. I can understand it is not helpful nor what you want to hear, so I think it is okay to tell them so.

In terms of the saying that "your time is too slow to be considered running", I have found that people are just mean or projecting their own feelings on to you. I find in these situations most people could never imagine running a marathon or are unhappy with their current times and are projecting those feelings on to you. Is it right or fair? No. Sounds like you had a good overall experience, did what you wanted to do, were okay with your time, and decided what type of races you do like to run, which is great. It can be frustrating but don't let others negativity get you down.
 


I owe y'all an update on my post-marathon plans and how the responses I received to the marathon (both positive and negative), play into that, but that will wait until I'm not still awake less than 5 hours before my alarm.

I just wanted to stop by and say this:
One of the reasons I've always felt out of place (including here) is because I've always felt like I had to hide some of my feelings and experiences.
Something difficult happened today at my company's holiday party. One of my coworkers noticed that something was off with me and came to check in, and not only did I feel perfectly comfortable telling him what happened (because I knew that a company event is a safe space), his response was to try to figure out how best to support me and to encourage me to continue to share my difficulties and to make sure I feel comfortable and included.

I've only been working there for a week and a half, but I love my company. I feel like I've finally found my right place.
 
So, I was trying to avoid getting ready for work and didn't want to do any of the million things I have to do (including figuring out my fitness schedule and writing a post about my new focus and my future with running), so instead I decided to read the earlier days of this journal, and I found this gem:

So ... I'm alternating between medium excited and super nervous about this barre3 class tomorrow. If I enjoy it, I'll be super happy, but I'm just terrified that maybe it won't be beginner friendly or the class will be super clique-y and nobody will be interested in helping a newbie or the lockers will be too small for my bag or someone's going to try to make me drink some sort of wheatgrass acai kombucha (yeah ... no) or it will just be too intense for me.

That was before my first barre3 class. Now I'm a member, I try to go 2-3 times a week (this week was tough because of work stuff), and I just dropped $$$ on branded gear. So ... I guess the moral of the story is that even if something new seems scary, it's worth a try, because it may end up being something you truly truly love.

Also ... to address these specific concerns: it can be beginner friendly if you know your limits and modify, nobody really talks to other people but people also aren't unfriendly, there are lockers that fit my bag (but not all of them do), more people drink kombucha at my work (we have it on tap) than at barre, and it didn't have to be too intense for me.

Now someone nag me to figure out my plans for the next 3 months and write them up.
 
Life After Marathons: My New Approach To A Healthier Life

This all starts with the aftermath of the marathon.
It took me a while to figure out why I was so disappointed in some of the responses I got from people, and I realized that it’s because running had become something I did for the validation of others, not something I enjoyed. And that’s not okay. Rather than totally give up running, which I think would be akin to throwing the baby out with the bathwater, I decided to focus more on overall health and fitness and put running on the back burner (but not totally forget about it) until I truly felt like I was doing it for myself, not for others.

The plan is to run three times most weeks, with the occasional week having 4 runs. I also want to do 2-3 barre3 classes per week. I have a ClassPass membership with 20 credits per month (the corporate discount from my job sucked me in), so I will likely use that for a combination of Mile High Run Club (that’s the treadmill studio I tried back in January) and checking out some of the other fitness studios in the area.

Now that I know approximately what I want my fitness plan to be, I need to work on scheduling. That’s a WIP, but here’s what I’m thinking so far:
Monday - Run (before work) and/or barre3 or other class
Tuesday - Run (before work) and/or barre3 or other class
Wednesday - Run (before work)
Thursday - barre3 (before work)
Friday - REST DAY!
Saturday - REST DAY!
Sunday - Long Run OR Run + barre3 (alternating weeks)
So Wednesday and Sunday are always run days, barre3 every other Sunday and every Thursday, run on either Monday or Tuesday (or occasionally both), and either barre3 or another class on one or both of those two days.

I don’t specifically have Mile High classes on there, but those will substitute for runs on normal run days, I just haven’t figured out which days and which classes.

I’m also still working on distances in general. I have the Princess Half in February, so I definitely want to get to at least 8 miles before that, preferably 10. One of the things I learned from working with Coach is to balance my long run with my weekday running, so I do still want to try to keep the longest run of the week below 50% of my total weekly mileage (maybe even below 40% if I can swing it some weeks). So we'll see how I manage to balance distance with not running super long or super often during the week.

My plan for this week:
Monday - Run (AM), SaltDrop (PM)
Tuesday - barre3 (PM)
Wednesday - Run (AM)
Thursday - barre3 (AM)
Friday - REST
Saturday - REST
Sunday - “Long” Run (5-6 miles?)
SaltDrop is a new class created by the former studio director of my barre studio - I’m super excited to see what it’s all about and I think that an hour reminding myself how fortunate I am to be able to move, which is what his classes have always been about, is a great way to refocus.


I also have three additional goals for this week:
  1. Stick to two snacks per day at work (this free snack thing has really gotten me, and it’s not good)
  2. Decide if I want to do another race in 2019
  3. Plan out my run schedule for the rest of 2019 (and maybe even all the way through Princess?)
The lottery for the United Airlines NYC Half is on Wednesday, but I’m trying not to worry about it. If I get in, yay, but if not, I’ll either volunteer or cheer.

I still have a lot of work to do in terms of figuring out my future with running. But I think that focusing on running as part of an overall fitness program, and not as the main thing I do, will help me eliminate some of the pressure I’m feeling and remember why I started running in the first place.

I don’t know how much or how often I’ll be sharing here, but I do find that having a place to share some things helps, so you may hear from me somewhat regularly. Stay tuned to see exactly what that means and how I’m feeling about life and running and whatever.

And even if I’m not around much … feel free to come here and talk about your favorite coffee and life topics!
 
Good for you for realizing that you needed to change the way you approach fitness. Fitness should be a personal thing, but I know its hard not to feel judged by other people (even if that judgement is all in our heads). I have always enjoyed mixing things up so I think your approach to that is good. And let's be real winters in the Northeast is not the ideal time to be running so I think your plan sounds good. The good thing is a new year is right around the corner and you can always reassess your plan at any time.

Also still upset about the gingerbread latte. I have found a tolerable substitute where I have been getting a chai latte cinnamon dulce syrup and while not the same, it works.
 
But I think that focusing on running as part of an overall fitness program, and not as the main thing I do, will help me eliminate some of the pressure I’m feeling and remember why I started running in the first place.

I don’t know how much or how often I’ll be sharing here, but I do find that having a place to share some things helps, so you may hear from me somewhat regularly. Stay tuned to see exactly what that means and how I’m feeling about life and running and whatever.

And even if I’m not around much … feel free to come here and talk about your favorite coffee and life topics!
I hope you've found your peace with running. It took me forever to formally register for my first half back in 2011 and I probably only did that because my little sister would not let me forget that I had committed to running it with her. The problem there is that I was never fully committed to the experience. I did just enough to get through the race, but did not truly enjoy it. The lure of the Coast to Coast medal convinced me I could put up with the entire ordeal two more times and then I could happily be done with it. Except now knowing that better preparation can result in a much better experience, I actually enjoyed myself. When the time came to decide about running the marathon, I knew I had to register for it because I wanted that experience for myself on my terms whatever those terms would be.

As for important life topics, I believe that baseball is one of them.
 
Good for you for realizing that you needed to change the way you approach fitness. Fitness should be a personal thing, but I know its hard not to feel judged by other people (even if that judgement is all in our heads). I have always enjoyed mixing things up so I think your approach to that is good. And let's be real winters in the Northeast is not the ideal time to be running so I think your plan sounds good. The good thing is a new year is right around the corner and you can always reassess your plan at any time.
Thank you! It's definitely hard not to feel the judgement (whether real or imagined), but I think I'm on a good path and hopefully can avoid some of the worst winter running!

Also still upset about the gingerbread latte. I have found a tolerable substitute where I have been getting a chai latte cinnamon dulce syrup and while not the same, it works.
That sounds ... not the same. Sigh. #BringBackGBL!

I hope you've found your peace with running. It took me forever to formally register for my first half back in 2011 and I probably only did that because my little sister would not let me forget that I had committed to running it with her. The problem there is that I was never fully committed to the experience. I did just enough to get through the race, but did not truly enjoy it. The lure of the Coast to Coast medal convinced me I could put up with the entire ordeal two more times and then I could happily be done with it. Except now knowing that better preparation can result in a much better experience, I actually enjoyed myself. When the time came to decide about running the marathon, I knew I had to register for it because I wanted that experience for myself on my terms whatever those terms would be.
I think I'm on my way to finding my peace with running. It's going to be a journey to get back to where I want to be (and where I used to be) mentally, but I think I'm on the right path. Running is such an individual thing, and we all have those moments where the pieces come together - and I believe that I'm on a path to putting those pieces together.

As for important life topics, I believe that baseball is one of them.
Yes. This journal will always be a place to talk baseball. There may even eventually be a rant related to this proposal to end the affiliation with a bunch of minor league teams, because boy that makes me unhappy (the league I probably go to most often would be totally cut).
 
This journal will always be a place to talk baseball. There may even eventually be a rant related to this proposal to end the affiliation with a bunch of minor league teams, because boy that makes me unhappy (the league I probably go to most often would be totally cut).
Given the concerns about growing the future of the game itself, I believe that eliminating it in smaller communities will do far more damage to the game. The cynic in me says that the rumored pending labor stoppage would also be disastrous. The 1994 strike did tremendous damage to baseball. And their solution to fix the damage was ignoring PEDs which further caused issues.
 
Given the concerns about growing the future of the game itself, I believe that eliminating it in smaller communities will do far more damage to the game. The cynic in me says that the rumored pending labor stoppage would also be disastrous. The 1994 strike did tremendous damage to baseball. And their solution to fix the damage was ignoring PEDs which further caused issues.

Yes to all of this. Some people live far from a major league team, but they become fans of a team because there's a local minor league affiliate. These teams will lose fans (and corresponding jersey/merch sales money) if they get rid of the affiliates. I have a lot of *thoughts* about baseball right now, but the biggest one is that it seems like the people in power are trying to lessen the appeal of the game and push away fans. And I don't know that modern baseball can take many more blows and keep going. Which sucks.
 
SaltDrop: A Quick Review

My schedule for the week got all messed up because I came down with something earlier this week, but tonight I finally made it to SaltDrop, a new-ish class from the former studio director of my barre3 studio.
The class doesn't have its own studio - it's hosted inside a dance studio complex. When I got there, I wasn't entirely sure where to go to change or where I could dump my stuff, but I asked a lot of people and eventually found the bathroom, changed, and then brought my stuff into the studio with me (I really only knew where the studio was because I saw Dino when I walked in).
When I got into the studio, there were a bunch of mats with towels out. I saw one of the front desk people and one of the instructors from barre3, so I knew I was at least with familiar faces. Dino was excited to see me come in for the first time (we were never really BFFs, but he knows me from barre3 and when he left I told him I was going to try to make it to his next venture), and I chatted with him a bit before class.

Class itself was a little challenging and a lot of fun. We started with some yoga-inspired flow sequences (I made my usual number of memory mistakes), which I thought I would struggle with more than I actually did, and then did a lot of jumping jacks. There was some "dance however you want," which I thought would be awkward, but I ended up having a lot of fun with. We did a burpee version at the end that just wasn't working for me (I started getting woozy), so I did squats instead, and even though I was the only one, it didn't feel too awkward. I don't know how I'm going to feel tomorrow (sore is an option), but tonight I'm really happy I went to this class.

I definitely will be back. I just gotta figure out if I want to get more ClassPass credits or pay out of pocket for it.

I'm so excited I got to go to this class and I'm really happy with how it went!
 

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