Roxymama's 5k to Marathon, Time to Collect Another Castle

[disneydaydreamer33]

yay training report is back! I always feel kind of lost without a race to train for, so I'm probably not a good person to ask. Usually I try to maintain my running 3x/week. With a "long run" being a 5 or 6 miler. Or I will just run 3x/week all short runs and focus on gym classes or strength trying or something. All until I find a new race to train for, and then I feel like I'm back in my comfort zone!! Good luck figuring things out!

 

[DopeyBadger]

Ok so the 10k thing is the big thing and that race is 10/15 with my liscensed and official pacer @DopeyBadger so I'm sure he's going to have a mission and plan.

So now what? I want to run between now and then obviously. I'd like to keep up the 3 times a week and 4 when the weekend weather is nice enough to run both Sat & Sun. How many miles a week is good to just maintain a level of fitness? How long should my long runs be? Should I just wing it for a few weeks and report here on how I'm doing? Have fun doing whatever I feel like?

It's really a matter of personal preference. Are you the type of person that can commit to a freely setup schedule, or do you need more of a "this is what I'm suppose to do today" type? Hence, if not set schedule are you going to be more likely to skip days? Also, what do you want out of the next few days, weeks, months, etc? Are you comfortable with the gains you've made to date and maintaining, or do you want to continue to get better? These are the types of questions you'd want to answer to yourself in order to decide what to do next. I know for me, I need a rigid schedule. I need to know what I'm suppose to do each day. I've done a more laissez faire attitude the last few weeks during race season because it's a little more unscripted. And I can tell it might be having a small impact on my results. So I'm trying to be mindful of this as the next few weeks come up before my own 10k. Now conversely, if you find a rigid schedule more stressful or less fun and just need a break, then by all means take that time to recharge. Look back at your history of running and both methods and see if you're satisfied with both methods equally or if you prefer one or the other.

 

[Anisum]

I mean, Dopey and/or a tri sound like good next steps? Seriously though, do whatever races you want. I encourage more food or beverage themed races because how else are you supposed to make up all the calories burned by running.

Edit: I also loved that bachelorette recap and I don't watch the show.

 

[opusone]

I've got a 5k 7/15 and 10k 7/16 and I'm literally going to figure out my strategy for that race based solely on the weather and how I'm feeling about them those days. I'm just bling hoarding and I like the lakefront path and so I'm gonna run on it

Rock 'n' Roll? I am running the 5k with my daughter (her first real 5k), so maybe we'll see you among the 3,000 other 5k runners!

 

[roxymama]

yay training report is back! I always feel kind of lost without a race to train for, so I'm probably not a good person to ask. Usually I try to maintain my running 3x/week. With a "long run" being a 5 or 6 miler. Or I will just run 3x/week all short runs and focus on gym classes or strength trying or something. All until I find a new race to train for, and then I feel like I'm back in my comfort zone!! Good luck figuring things out!

Yeah I'm the same way. I like my lists and checking off my to-do's and that goes for running too. But then I think maybe some aimless running around would be good for the sole (pun intended.)

View attachment 239620

View attachment 239621

View attachment 239622





It's really a matter of personal preference. Are you the type of person that can commit to a freely setup schedule, or do you need more of a "this is what I'm suppose to do today" type? Hence, if not set schedule are you going to be more likely to skip days? Also, what do you want out of the next few days, weeks, months, etc? Are you comfortable with the gains you've made to date and maintaining, or do you want to continue to get better? These are the types of questions you'd want to answer to yourself in order to decide what to do next. I know for me, I need a rigid schedule. I need to know what I'm suppose to do each day. I've done a more laissez faire attitude the last few weeks during race season because it's a little more unscripted. And I can tell it might be having a small impact on my results. So I'm trying to be mindful of this as the next few weeks come up before my own 10k. Now conversely, if you find a rigid schedule more stressful or less fun and just need a break, then by all means take that time to recharge. Look back at your history of running and both methods and see if you're satisfied with both methods equally or if you prefer one or the other.

OH MAN...I don't know if I should be excited or SCARED! Haha!

Exactly what you bring up is exactly the struggle right now. When I don't have a set plan (like that time between my 15k and starting half training this winter) I tend to get very "skippy" or I'd cut runs short, etc. But that was also in the dead of winter and during the ugly treadmill months. So maybe I should work backwards a bit. How long should I pencil in for my 10k training so I can back schedule to see where about that starts up? I know how long my half training was but not sure if things change when your focusing more on speeding up than only endurance. Would it work to start just after my 7/15 race/fun-run weekend?
Would a 9/24 half marathon even make sense? I'd have to start training for that like pretty soon in June and I'm not sure if I'm ready to jump back in to all that so soon. Unless I just go and do that to complete it along side hubby and not "compete" it which actually sounds rather nice but not sure how much that would hurt my whole 10k speed effort.

So I guess maybe I'll do my own thing for a few weeks and see if I'm being good or hating it and report back if I've gone too far off track, but for sure start up a plan to whip me into shape mid Summer? Because I just ate baconator fries for lunch and clearly I need focus in my life.

I mean, Dopey and/or a tri sound like good next steps? Seriously though, do whatever races you want. I encourage more food or beverage themed races because how else are you supposed to make up all the calories burned by running.

Edit: I also loved that bachelorette recap and I don't watch the show.

A tri would be amazing! If only I owned a bike and knew how to swim. Bucket list...there's a Naperville, IL sprint that I've watched and it looks do-able for a newbie if I get to that point one day.
The hardest part about food races is I just don't want to eat while I'm running or even just after. Give me like an hour and then I can eat the world.

Rock 'n' Roll? I am running the 5k with my daughter (her first real 5k), so maybe we'll see you among the 3,000 other 5k runners!

YES THE ROCK N ROLL! Last year I met up with @michigandergirl and it was very easy to find her since the corrals are actually fairly small. Once I know my corral I'll reach out to you guys to see if we can play "where's waldo" in the start crowd

 

[DopeyBadger]

How long should I pencil in for my 10k training so I can back schedule to see where about that starts up? I know how long my half training was but not sure if things change when your focusing more on speeding up than only endurance. Would it work to start just after my 7/15 race/fun-run weekend?

Honestly, the plan can be as short or long as you want it to be. I think the real decision is less the length of the plan, but more so how much do you want to improve? I think answering that dictates the length of the plan more. You want more gains, then the plan will likely end up longer. With that being said, the week of 7/17 is 14 weeks from race day and that's plenty of time.

Would a 9/24 half marathon even make sense? I'd have to start training for that like pretty soon in June and I'm not sure if I'm ready to jump back in to all that so soon. Unless I just go and do that to complete it along side hubby and not "compete" it which actually sounds rather nice but not sure how much that would hurt my whole 10k speed effort.

We can certainly make anything work. I think you'd probably have to choose an either or (especially since the HM happens first) as an "A" race. It sounds like the 10k is your "A" race, which means we could incorporate the HM as a long run pace or slower type run (dependent on a myriad of factors that go undetermined until it's written). The plan wouldn't look to dissimilar from the HM plan you followed except the pacing would change focus on a few of the runs throughout the plan. But mostly, endurance is still the predominant focus of the plan, even when we hone in on true speed pacing. Although, to be fair, working on speed pacing in the summer will be tough. You know with the and all.

 

[roxymama]

Honestly, the plan can be as short or long as you want it to be. I think the real decision is less the length of the plan, but more so how much do you want to improve? I think answering that dictates the length of the plan more. You want more gains, then the plan will likely end up longer. With that being said, the week of 7/17 is 14 weeks from race day and that's plenty of time.



We can certainly make anything work. I think you'd probably have to choose an either or (especially since the HM happens first) as an "A" race. It sounds like the 10k is your "A" race, which means we could incorporate the HM as a long run pace or slower type run (dependent on a myriad of factors that go undetermined until it's written). The plan wouldn't look to dissimilar from the HM plan you followed except the pacing would change focus on a few of the runs throughout the plan. But mostly, endurance is still the predominant focus of the plan, even when we hone in on true speed pacing. Although, to be fair, working on speed pacing in the summer will be tough. You know with the and all.

Ah yes...that dang summer weather. Why is the window for perfect running weather so slim around these parts? Ok, so I've got a lot to mull over in the next few weeks...I guess no better time to mull it over than during some exploratory fun runs. And yeah, I'm thinking probably that 10k would have the biggest A on it for right now.

 

[roxymama]

And now something a little different. I received the email today from Hot Chocolate describing their new legacy runner program. Apparently I'd be eligible starting this year which means I'd get some kind of pin, a special bib, and perks at the end of the race because of my bib. 5yr and 10yr peeps get more stuff. So now I kind of have to run it right? So I'm heading over to the running thread to add in Hot Chocolate 15k 10/29/17.
The legacy would still count if I did the 5k...but I'd rather run the longer distance and get this beauty

Yeah, so adding another to my schedule. I don't need to think about goals for that...probably will be a "see what happens" situation. Kind of awesome that 9.3 ain't so scary anymore

 

[DopeyBadger]

Kind of awesome that 9.3 ain't so scary anymore

 

[LizardQueen8]

I'm doing the Hot Chocolate 15k this year! I DON'T KNOW WHY THO.

 

[roxymama]

I'm doing the Hot Chocolate 15k this year! I DON'T KNOW WHY THO.

BECAUSE CHOCOLATE!

 

[FFigawi]

So now what? I want to run between now and then obviously. I'd like to keep up the 3 times a week and 4 when the weekend weather is nice enough to run both Sat & Sun. How many miles a week is good to just maintain a level of fitness? How long should my long runs be? Should I just wing it for a few weeks and report here on how I'm doing? Have fun doing whatever I feel like?

I know of this really fun marathon in January, one where lots of your friends will be. I think you should sign up and go for it!

 

[michigandergirl]

Sadly RnR Chicago is not going to happen for me this year. Man do I love that half medal with the bean though!

My two cents on what you should do next: a marathon, most definitely. Chicago 2018.

 

[Anisum]

A tri would be amazing! If only I owned a bike and knew how to swim. Bucket list...there's a Naperville, IL sprint that I've watched and it looks do-able for a newbie if I get to that point one day.
The hardest part about food races is I just don't want to eat while I'm running or even just after. Give me like an hour and then I can eat the world.

The buying the bike was the biggest pain for me. I'm pretty sure that I saw swim lessons on your goals. Once you get that down you can definitely do a tri.

I totally understand that. I don't want to eat or drink after long races. I believe my quote at one ten miler was "I'm not ready to pretzel yet." when a volunteer tried to hand me a soft pretzel. You could find one with a good after party to hang out at so you could hang out until food time.

 

[FredtheDuck]

Yeah I'm the same way. I like my lists and checking off my to-do's and that goes for running too. But then I think maybe some aimless running around would be good for the sole (pun intended.)

Maybe a couple of weeks of aimless running will help you figure out what you want to work towards next? I know I feel a lot more excited about running now that I'm moving back towards a goal, but I also knew my aimless running was helping me stay in shape so that when I did commit to a goal, I wasn't starting from zero again.

Kind of awesome that 9.3 ain't so scary anymore

I love this.

 

[roxymama]

I know of this really fun marathon in January, one where lots of your friends will be. I think you should sign up and go for it!

Sadly RnR Chicago is not going to happen for me this year. Man do I love that half medal with the bean though!

My two cents on what you should do next: a marathon, most definitely. Chicago 2018.

I feel like deciding to do another half or a full is a lot like when people decide to have a second kid. The farther removed from the experience the more your memory loss about how much time and energy training took and your mind starts remembering the race as easier than it was. You start only remembering the happy times and forget about all the poopy stuff and the crying. I fear this will be me sometime soon.
If I do end up ever doing a full its gonna be one of the two races you all mentioned above, but I think I need a little more time to decide on that
Plus I got a Disney Fall trip and Mexico trip in Feb (yay friends' wedding) and possibly another Mexico trip this Jan too (another wedding) so this year is kind of trip heavy...which I'm not complaining about, it's just a lot.

The buying the bike was the biggest pain for me. I'm pretty sure that I saw swim lessons on your goals. Once you get that down you can definitely do a tri.

I totally understand that. I don't want to eat or drink after long races. I believe my quote at one ten miler was "I'm not ready to pretzel yet." when a volunteer tried to hand me a soft pretzel. You could find one with a good after party to hang out at so you could hang out until food time.

I'm really tired of being the one that has to hold her nose to go under water or to jump in a pool. And it'd be nice to not just doggy paddle.

"I'm not ready to pretzel yet." This is hilarious! I felt that same way about the free twizzler people during the Tink half. I wasn't ready to candy yet!

Maybe a couple of weeks of aimless running will help you figure out what you want to work towards next? I know I feel a lot more excited about running now that I'm moving back towards a goal, but I also knew my aimless running was helping me stay in shape so that when I did commit to a goal, I wasn't starting from zero again.



I love this.

Yeah, I think some aimless running sounds pretty good for at least a couple weeks. Fartlek filled roaming? I gotta check the local college's starbucks schedule to see when they close for the summer just in case I can get one more "run for coffee" in before that happens. And I just realized that I have NO WORK on Monday so I have three different days to potentially wander. So I'll just pick the one(s) with the best weather.

 

[run.minnie.miles]

You're baaaackkkk!!! Woohoo!

I think BIG things are going to happen this fall running for you! Yay!

I feel like deciding to do another half or a full is a lot like when people decide to have a second kid. The farther removed from the experience the more your memory loss about how much time and energy training took and your mind starts remembering the race as easier than it was. You start only remembering the happy times and forget about all the poopy stuff and the crying. I fear this will be me sometime soon.

Wait... are we talking kids or running here?

I have this weird pipe dream of the WDW marathon in 2019, so maybe join me there? (even if it's not your first )

 

[roxymama]

You're baaaackkkk!!! Woohoo!

I think BIG things are going to happen this fall running for you! Yay!


Wait... are we talking kids or running here?

I have this weird pipe dream of the WDW marathon in 2019, so maybe join me there? (even if it's not your first )

Haha, No kid announcement on my part!!! If I ever do a marathon I think I'd try to talk hubby into getting a treadmill at our house. I can't imagine training for one at the gym...blech.

 

[run.minnie.miles]

Haha, No kid announcement on my part!!! If I ever do a marathon I think I'd try to talk hubby into getting a treadmill at our house. I can't imagine training for one at the gym...blech.

I really LOVE having a treadmill. If it works for you, I don't think you'd regret it.

 

[roxymama]

Kiddo is doing one of those giant inflatable things and I don't appreciate their representation of reasonably weighing adults!

Hubby and I cracking up over here!