Maybe a journal (comments welcome)

[flav]

I am in my 10th year of my running journey and like exchanging ideas, tips and experiences with people on this forum.

I don’t know if writing my thoughts and feelings will help me or you. I will try.

 

[WillRunForPizza]

Yessss, come to the dark side of oversharing about your day-to-day running! (Is that just me? Maybe that's just me. )

 

[Herding_Cats]

@WillRunForPizza it’s not just you.

 

[jmasgat]

Yessss, come to the dark side of oversharing about your day-to-day running! (Is that just me? Maybe that's just me. )

You can never overshare here....especially if you post dog photos (with amazingly witty captions)

 

[WillRunForPizza]

You can never overshare here

Not true. Nobody wants to see my toenails.

Oops, we've already hijacked @flav's thread

 

[flav]

Let start with my status today.

What I do right:
- I run five times a week and if I am following a training plan, I really try to respect it. I recognize that and thank my DB coach.
- I am involved positively in my family life, they are all amazing.
- I run with DH. A couple that runs together is happy together (it works for us).
- I support DD running goals and cheer at her races.
- I work hard with a great team but a very reasonable 35h per week which allows me to run at lunch.
- I register for races sometimes for fun and sometimes for speed and stick to the proper goals accordingly.
- I go see a PT or a massage therapist about once a month combined.
- I don’t mind, I even like, running in different conditions over the year (snow, heat, etc).
- I like to travel and do prioritize it over other expenses. I do budget well too.

Things I can improve:
- I need to wean myself off from a sugar and snacks addiction. I work from home and love cookies and candies. Moderation is something to aim for.
- I have stopped stretching, strength training and core conditioning. I really would benefit from getting back in shape for these but motivation is non existent. I tried online classes, reminders, registering to a gym, etc. Nope, I give up right away because I don’t like it.
- The above two mean that I am at least 10 pounds of fat overweight. I am also 50 years old now and if I don’t get stronger, leaner and faster, I am going to seriously regress.
- My hips are really tight and my family tends to have arthritis later in age. I don’t always find a comfortable position to sleep. I have given a bit more attention to sleeping enough recently and do see the difference in my energy level.
- I lost multiple toenails in my last marathon and it freaks me out for the next. I bought a different pair of shoes and hope that this will fix the issue.
- I don’t know what race or trip can excite me next.

 

[flav]

You can never overshare here....especially if you post dog photos (with amazingly witty captions)

I don’t have a dog and the last pets we had provoked an allergy and very active sinuses. I can post pictures of DD. Here is this afternoon 1500m start:

 

[flav]

Nobody wants to see my toenails.

And I have saved you from that too.

 

[garneska]

Not saying your body will betray you like mine, but you should start prioritizing strength training. I am trying to throw that to all my running friends. It’s hard and I still prefer running but the knees have said less running, so I added strength training (plus I had to if I did want to run again).

 

[jmasgat]

I laud your honest assessment of your current status. I feel like I could have written parts of it myself--particularly the strength training and weight and what to do next. My (former) engineer brain knows what it should do, but struggles to do it.

But I guess it's best to fail and try again---lather, rinse, repeat.

 

[flav]

I am not yet delinquent on my journal, it’s just that I don’t have much to write about.

I started a training plan 10 days ago. Even though it called for short easy or not so long runs, it still demanded a great deal of adaptation from DH and I. All our runs until today went something like that… For the first two kilometres: This is so hard, we are going so slow (of course those are on icy or very uneven conditions). Then we hit dry pavement: Oh no, we are going too fast, this is supposed to be an easy pace (but it suddenly feels easy!). Then arrive home and see that the average overall pace was the target pace (yes, I know, that is not what is intended). So basically, just getting used to target any pace was though.

Today was a HM tempo run. That was a good reality check. I did not quite achieve the target pace and found it really hard. But I am proud to have tried. It shows that I needed this plan to get back in shape. Maintenance is over! Improvement here I come!

 

[jmasgat]

Have you got an event you are training for or are you using the plan "just" for structure?

 

[flav]

Have you got an event you are training for or are you using the plan "just" for structure?

I am targeting a half marathon at the end of April. I would like to PR 2022 1:53:32 The side benefit if I succeed is a PoT that would put me with DD in A if she wants to do a runDisney race in the coming years.

 

[flav]

I am targeting a half marathon at the end of April. I would like to PR 2022 1:53:32 The side benefit if I succeed is a PoT that would put me with DD in A if she wants to do a runDisney race in the coming years.

And I just see that they are full, I need to find another race

 

[The Expert]

And I just see that they are full, I need to find another race

If you're up for a short drive across the border, there's a low key half marathon in Burlington in April: https://www.runvermont.org/half-marathon-unplugged/

I haven't run this but have heard good things about both it and the Vermont City Marathon in May. They don't offer a half distance for that one, but they do offer a two-person relay if you and DH didn't mind running separately.

 

[GollyGadget]

If you’re running in tough conditions (ice, heat, etc), it’s preferable to go by effort and not pace. I wouldn’t worry too much about being too slow for this outing.

 

[flav]

Today was the first speed work of my training plan. The last one was somewhere at the beginning of April 2024.

Before I started, I was sure that I would not be able to do it. Coach Billy knew better, DH and I nailed it. Which is a great confidence boost.

Walt said that “It's kind of fun to do the impossible.” I say that at this point in my life it is funnier to know it’s possible.

 

[LSUlakes]

Today was the first speed work of my training plan. The last one was somewhere at the beginning of April 2024.

Before I started, I was sure that I would not be able to do it. Coach Billy knew better, DH and I nailed it. Which is a great confidence boost.

Walt said that “It's kind of fun to do the impossible.” I say that at this point in my life it is funnier to know it’s possible.

Did you find a spring time half to race for POT? If you are not to far from Louisiana there is the Zydeco Marathon / Half Marathon in mid March. I too am looking to improve my POT from my half in January to get into corral A. I have a solid B time, but it looks like to be safe a 1:53:00 or better should be 100% safe for corral A. Good luck with the race!

 

[flav]

Did you find a spring time half to race for POT? If you are not to far from Louisiana there is the Zydeco Marathon / Half Marathon in mid March. I too am looking to improve my POT from my half in January to get into corral A. I have a solid B time, but it looks like to be safe a 1:53:00 or better should be 100% safe for corral A. Good luck with the race!

I have settled for a local HM in mid-April. It is an already very busy weekend for me but the best available chance of cool weather.

 

[flav]

I started using my new pair of shoes at the beginning of February.

The Saucony Triumph 22 feel comfortable so far and it is very difficult to know if the little pains I have come from them, from walking in my winter boots, from shovelling or anything else. I am also not sure whether they slow me down a little. Due to the snowy ground conditions was able to do only real speed workout last Wednesday and I did hit the targeted paces. Since then, almost a meter of snow has accumulated on the ground. We also won’t be driving to the gym but I am satisfied about giving what is possible training wise.

DH in the middle of the road this morning: