It's Not the Years, It's the Mileage - birthday marathon training journal

[nancipants]

32 Days until WDW 10k, 83 Days until Princess 10k

The past week has been like the Katy Perry song "Hot and Cold." One morning it was in the 40s, yesterday it was T+D of 150 when I finally dragged myself out of bed to run, so I went on the treadmill. Ah, gotta love December in Florida!


November 27: HM tempo run. I did this on the treadmill and messed up when pressing my lap key so I don't have good data. But the intervals were mostly on target.

November 29: 3 mile easy run. My husband was sick so I had to take my son to school this morning. Because it was colder, I was able to run outside when I got home, but had to cut the run short for work. It was 52 when I started and I wore a long sleeve shirt and shorts, but ended up pushing my sleeves up by the end of the first mile. I was glad to actually have some "colder" weather to figure out what I might actually need to wear if it's cold for the 10k. As you can see, I was over 30 seconds faster than what my easy pace should be. Thanks, cold weather!
2.64 mi, 35:33 total, 13:27 avg pace.

November 30: 4 mile easy run. Temp was 54 when I started. I think I wore a hat and gloves when I started since the sun wasn't up yet, but I took those off midway through. My heart rate when into Zone 3 for too long since I went up the big hill. Should have adjusted pace more.
4.04 mi, 55:33 total, 13:45 avg pace.

December 1: 7 mile easy run. It got hotter, ugh. Was 64 when I started and was in the 70s by the time I finished. Do not like. The biggest problem for this run was that the cap of my water bottle broke so I wasn't able to bring Tailwind and practice fueling. I had an applesauce pouch midway through and had no problems with that, so I know that's a good alternate. I went up the big hill twice due to my route being longer, and again went into Zone 3 for too long. Bleh. Will probably need to adjust my intervals for long runs.
7.00 mi, 1:38:56 total, 14:08 avg pace.

December 3: 3 mile run. Did this on the treadmill because it was too hot by the time I got out of bed. Nothing much to report, watching some runDisney races and it was motivating. I forgot to stop my watch so my time/pace are estimates.
3.00 mi, 42:44 total, 14:15 avg pace.

December 4: HM tempo run. Woof, this was hard. And it was hot - 70 when I started. But I did it!
1 mile warm up, 3 x .75 miles at HM pace with a 2 min rest interval in between, 1 mile cool down. My HM pace intervals were 60/30.
4.72 mi, 1:04:25 total, 13:39 avg pace.
My run interval average was 11:06 and my recovery interval average was 17:11, which is almost on target (11:00/17:00 for a 12:28 HM pace.)


(Also, I'm raising money for the Princess HM. See my signature if you're interested. )

 

[nancipants]

Well today is a rest day (kind of) and I'm done wrapping Christmas presents (hooray!), so I should probably update.

17 Days until WDW 10k, 68 Days until Princess Half Marathon

December 6: 2 mile easy intervals.
Total: 2.23 miles. Time: 30:33. Avg pace: 13:43. Temp: 55.
This was perfect weather. My hands were cold at first, and I noted I should wear gloves when it's in the 50s (at least to start). I bought some kids gloves to use as throwaways. My heart rate stayed low for this run.

December 7: 2 mile easy continuous.
Total: 2.15 miles. Time: 29:17. Avg pace: 13:38. Temp: 52.
I wore a hat and gloves this time. I warmed up and could have ditched them, but kept them on since it was only a 2 mile run. According to the pace chart, I took two walking breaks, but I can't remember why. Probably since my heart rate was nearing zone 3. According to the data, it stayed in 2 the entire time.

December 8: 4 mile marathon tempo.
Total: 4.07 miles. Time: 53:32. Avg pace: 13:08. Temp: 57.
My notes are that the weather was good and the run felt tough but comfortable.
Marathon pace is 13:21, so I was a bit fast.
I did 30/30 intervals. My heart rate went into zone 3 for 6:50.

December 10: 3 mile easy intervals.
Total: 3.0 miles. Time: 40:41. Avg pace: 13:33. Temp: 66.
I did this run at my mom's house since we were visiting that weekend. Where she lives is COMPLETELY flat, so I was faster than usual, despite it being overcast and muggy.
My heart rate stayed in zones 1 and 2.

December 11: HM tempo run.
Total: 4.15 miles. Time: 54:17. Avg pace: 13:07. Temp: 48.
This was 1 mile easy, 1 mile HM pace, 2 min rest, 1 mile HM pace, 1 mile easy.
My heart rate went into zone 3 for 5:26.
HM pace is 12:28, so I was a little fast and I felt it, lol.



December 13: 3 mile easy intervals.
Total: 3.41 miles. Time: 46:33. Avg pace: 13:38. Temp: 63.
I noted that I felt weak around mile 2, like I hadn't eaten enough breakfast, but I powered through. I did the big hill for the last mile, and my heart rate stayed in zone 2.

I was supposed to do 4 miles on December 14, but I skipped due to my son's 4 year well visit and then he stayed home from daycare. I would have run on the treadmill but he screamed during the shots and I had to hold him down so I was traumatized for the rest of the day.

December 15: 8 mile long run.
Total: 8.06. Time: 1:53:51. Avg pace: 14:07. Temp: 64.
Fuel: Two scoops of Tailwind (caffeinated) to start. Did not drink full bottle; dumped a bit out when I refilled with non-caffeinated. My stomach felt fine and I felt strong during the run. I didn't stop my watch when I refilled and it took me 2 minutes between using the water fountain and dumping in the Tailwind. Hopefully I can get that time down. It should be easier at the water stops since I won't need to open my community pool gate.
I went into zone 3 for 5:32 after going uphill.

December 17: 3 mile easy intervals.
Total: 3.1 miles. Time: 44:21. Avg pace: 14:18.
Did this on the treadmill since son was home and it was super wet outside from the tropical system.
I watched last year's HM race from runSota and it got me super inspired. I did this run without any walk breaks and also added some strides since I missed Thursday's run.
Heart rate went into zone 3 for 1:40 during some of the strides.
This run felt great despite being on the treadmill and I was so proud of myself for running a full 5k with no walk breaks.

December 18: HM tempo run.
Total: 4.12 miles. Time: 54:24. Avg pace: 13:12. Temp: 57.
1 mile easy, 2 miles HM page, 1 mile easy.
I ran this after a late night at Epcot and my legs were so tired, but I did it. I added the hill during the last easy mile.
My heart rate went into zone 3 for 6:27.
I accidentally hit my lap button during mile 3, so it's cut in two, but you get the gist:



HM pace is 12:28, so I was a little too fast. I'm proud that my second HM mile was faster considering this was the first run without a rest interval in between.


And that's it for the last two weeks! The next two weeks will be preparing for the 10k. My goal is to PR. If the weather cooperates, I think I can do 1:15. Whatever happens, I'm so excited to be doing another runDisney race soon!

 

[azrivest]

he screamed during the shots and I had to hold him down so I was traumatized for the rest of the day.

I've been there. It breaks our Momma hearts we know it's for their good but it doesn't feel good in the moment

See you soon!

 

[nancipants]

I've been there. It breaks our Momma hearts we know it's for their good but it doesn't feel good in the moment

See you soon!

Thanks. He hasn't cried for shots since he was a baby, and usually would just do a little cry and then be fine. He did covid and flu shots a few months ago and didn't cry at all. I guess now he's more cognizant of what's happening.

 

[nancipants]

7 Days until WDW 10k, 58 Days until Princess Half Marathon

Training has been going steady even with the holidays. I did move some runs around so I didn't have to run on Christmas. That ended up being a good thing since my husband got food poisoning so I had to be the full-time toddler wrangler/present putter-together.


December 20: 2 miles easy intervals.
Total: 2.04 miles. Time: 27:54. Avg pace: 13:42.
No notes. Did the big hill so my heart rate went into zone 3 for a minute.

December 21: 2 miles easy plus strides.
Total: 2 miles. Time: 28:11. Avg pace: 14:06 miles.
Did this on the treadmill. I added strides in the last mile and also added some incline to match the race video I was watching. Even with the strides and incline my heart rate remained low.

December 22: 5 miles M tempo.
Total: 5.01 miles. Time: 1:06:12. Avg pace: 13:13.
Used 30/30 intervals. Marathon pace is 13:21 so I was slightly faster.
Heart rate went into zone 3 for 5:49.

December 23: 3 miles easy intervals.
Total: 3.01 miles. Time: 42:16. Avg pace: 14:03.
Was supposed to do this on Sunday, Dec 24, but I shifted my runs a day so I didn't have to run on Christmas.

December 24: 10k tempo run.
Total: 4.23 miles. Time: 58:03. Avg pace: 13:43.
1 mile easy, 3 x .66 mile at 10k pace (11:55) with a 2 min rest interval, 1 mile easy.
Did this run on the treadmill so I could stick to the paces on the intervals.
Heart rate went into zone 3 for 15:20.
For the first two intervals, I ran at 5 speed on the treadmill for the entire interval, with my goal to finish in 8 minutes. For the last interval, I did run/walk and finished faster.



December 27: 4 mile easy intervals.
Total: 4.01 miles. Time: 55:34. Avg pace: 13:50.
I wore my new Janji Pace shorts (loved them!) and new shoes!

December 28: 4 miles easy plus strides.
Total: 4 miles. Time: 56:22. Avg pace: 14:06.
Did this on the treadmill. Watched another race video. I did NOT want to do this run but I was glad I did when it was over.
Ran continuous for mile 1-2, intervals for mile 3, and continuous plus strides for mile 4.
Heart rate went into zone 3 for 1:54 during the strides.
I wrote my new Constantia shorts and liked them as well, but definitely prefer the Janji shorts.

December 9: 9 miles easy intervals.
Total: 9.01 miles. Time: 2:04:16. Avg pace: 13:48.
I was freezing when I started this run and almost turned back to change my shirt and get a hat/gloves. But I warmed up after mile 2, and the sun came out mid run, so I ended up being comfortable with my outfit.
I practiced my fuel. Started with two scoops of caffeinated Tailwind. Refilled bottle with 2 scoops noncaffeinated about halfway through.
The good: I never felt like hitting the wall. I powered through when I started getting bored/restless sore.
Despite going up the big hill twice, my heart rate only went into zone 3 for 3:51.
The bad: My stomach started bothering me around mile 5.5. I abandoned the route and headed back toward the community pool to use the bathroom. Thankfully my stomach calmed down by the time I got there, but I still went just in case. .
My legs started feeling tired around mile 7. I slacked off on my stretching this week and I definitely felt it.
I also got a blister on my big toe, but I didn't really feel it and only noticed it in the shower.
Next run, I will try one scoop of Tailwind and refill around 3-4 miles.

I'm going to my mom's this weekend and visiting a friend on Sunday, so I hope I can stick to my Sunday and Monday runs. Then I go into a mini taper to prepare for the 10k next Friday! I'm so excited, and am praying the weather cooperates so I can try for a PR.

See you all there!

 

[DopeyBadger]

Appreciate the thought about doing 10k intervals on the treadmill so you can get the pace right, but you also want to do those types of runs outdoors so you can learn what the pace feels like under real road conditions. I haven’t went back and looked at your past runs, but make sure there’s balance between the two mindsets on that type of run.

 

[nancipants]

Appreciate the thought about doing 10k intervals on the treadmill so you can get the pace right, but you also want to do those types of runs outdoors so you can learn what the pace feels like under real road conditions. I haven’t went back and looked at your past runs, but make sure there’s balance between the two mindsets on that type of run.

Thanks! Yeah I usually do these runs outside but due to chores I didn’t start running until the middle of the day and it was warmer than I would have liked. So I figured I’d take advantage of the treadmill this time.

 

[nancipants]

Week leading up to the 10k:

Really not much to report.

December 31, last run of the year: three easy miles. Was at my mom’s house which always feels super easy to me since there’s no inclines.
3.0 miles, 40:36, 13:31 avg pace.

January 1, first run of the year: 10k tempo run. 1 mile easy, 2 x .66 mile at 11:55 pace with a 2 min rest interval, 1 mile easy. I did the intervals continuously instead of doing run/walk just to see if I could. Ended up being faster than pace (which didn’t translate to the 10k, which makes me want to see what I can do in a less crowded course. I’d love to do the Margaritaville 10k next year since the course was flat and not very crowded, but running a 10k at the end of September sucked).



January 3: 2 mile easy run. Just shaking things out before the 10k.
2.0 miles, 27:08, 13:32 avg pace.

My avg pace continues to decrease even though my heart rate stays low. I expect it to increase when it gets warmer, so I’m appreciating it for now.

I was supposed to run 1 mile on Thursday, but I didn’t. Went to the expo and walked around.

January 5: the 10k! I’ll recap in the next post.

 

[nancipants]

Disney 10k

First race of the year! This wasn't the focus of my training plan, but since the weather (for once) seemed to be cooperating, I decided to go for it and try to get 1:15:00. I didn’t reach my goal, but I almost did, and despite really feeling it I was able to keep going to the finish line.

I’m not very good at race recaps, but I’ll try to remember what I can.

Woke up at 2 am after HORRIBLE sleep. I had a hard time falling asleep and then my husband (accidentally) woke me up when he came to bed. Then I had super weird dreams (one being that I overslept for the race). I dragged myself out of bed, toasted my bagel, got ready, and headed out the door by 2:45.

Ate my bagel on the way to Epcot and took a few sips of water. I was trying not to drink much water so I didn’t have to pee in the corrals. (This ended up biting me in the *** later.) Got to Epcot in record time, since only crazy runners are driving to races in the middle of the night, lol. Went to the real bathroom. Went to the disboards meetup, and I apologize for not remembering everyone’s screen names, but I was glad to meet everyone! Headed to the corrals a little before 4, visited the portas, then staked out a spot in D corral. I was glad to not be in the last corral this time. I don’t worry about the balloon ladies anymore but I HATE waiting in the corrals. My anxiety makes me have to go to the bathroom which creates a horrible feedback loop when I’m stuck somewhere. Thankfully I was okay this time. I had a fleece jacket and blanket as throwaways, as well as arm warmers made from socks, fingerless gloves, and a hat. I was plenty warm, thankfully. I did some dynamic stretches as much as I could and made sure my watch was set up how I wanted it for the race. Of course everyone in the corral stood up around 4:45 when A started moving and I rolled my eyes. Just sit down! Stop crowding! We’re not going anywhere yet!! Thankfully this time we got moving a lot earlier than usual (around 5:30, I think), and I started a little after 5:40. I did run out the back of the start chute to pee since I was serious about my time and didn’t want to stop at all. Thankful for that volunteer letting people out and hope they continue to do this for people in the later corrals!



Settled into 1:30/:30 run/walk intervals to start. I teared up at the first character stop and almost gave up on my time goal. Pinocchio was my aunt’s favorite Disney character and it felt like she was telling me, “you got this.” (She passed away from Alzheimer’s in 2020.) The line was still too long for my liking so I moved on, with a bittersweet smile on my face.

I turned off auto lap on my Garmin and manually hit the lap key at every mile marker. I’ll note how long it took me and what the actual distance was.

Mile 1: just trying to get into the groove. It’s hard to properly warm up when you still have 40 plus minutes before a race. I tossed my hat almost immediately, then my arm warmers and gloves before the mile marker. I am a weak Floridian when it comes to cold - except when I run. I warm up super fast. So the upper 40s was the perfect temperature.
1.01, 12:30.5, pace 12:23.
Started out slower than my goal pace but that was ok.

Mile 2: sharp right turn ahead and up the incline back toward Epcot. The inclines didn’t bother me much, I slowed down a tad but mostly because of the course crowding. It was so hard on those turns/overpass lines to move around people. I tried to find holes and attached myself to some runners and just followed their lead.
0.97 (not sure why this was short, maybe I hit the key early?), 11:49, pace 12:08.

Mile 3: my heart rate was rising faster than I wanted, so I switched to 1:00/:30 intervals. Back up another incline into the Epcot parking lot. I’ve never been in that backstage area of Epcot so it was really neat to see. Again, had issues with some crowding, but I tried to make up for it when the course cleared out.
1.02, 12:31.8, pace 12:15.
At this point, I started keeping an eye on the timer field on my watch to see if 1:15:00 was still in reach. I knew if I hit the 5k mark around my current PR (38:24) that it was in reach.



Mile 4: Into Epcot and out to the Boardwalk, one of my favorite places. Had a lot more room to run here and it was great seeing spectators.
1.04 (oops - I didn’t think I weaved as much but I guess I did backstage), 12:38.2, pace 12:10.
I hit the 5k mark when my watch said 38:18. I told myself okay, your goal is still in reach, just keep going. At any rate, I was happy because I knew I PRed my 5k.

Mile 5: finished the Boardwalk and headed back into Epcot. I love World Showcase and it was super fun to run here in the opposite direction. I’ve only “run” here in 5ks and they go the other way. Also gave me a tiny taste of what the marathon is like and yeah, I wanna do it next year, haha.
1.04 (again, oops?), 12:32.6, pace 12:05.
Still checking the timer. 1:15:00 was looking more and more out of reach, especially since I couldn’t run as fast as I wanted a lot of times. A few times I was stuck walking behind people so I tried to “fix” the intervals later.
Note: I didn’t get many photo pass pictures, I wonder if it’s because my bib was on my shorts. Or maybe people just cut me off.

Mile 6: finished World Showcase and into World Celebration/Cosmic Rewind. It was super fun running near the new open area and next to the Nova Corps ship. Loved the Jammitors of course. By this time I was really feeling it and switched to :30/:30 intervals. By the end, I was really looking for the six mile marker.
1.04 (sensing a pattern here), 12:17.6, pace 11:48.
Seeing this, I should have switched my intervals sooner. I always run faster toward the end of a race when I walk more. I don’t get it either, but it works.
Also, I don’t remember where this pic was, but I love it.



Finish: That last .2 miles seemed interminable, haha. The new finish line area was hard to see at first but once I got to the straightaway I just kept going. Surprisingly my heart rate didn’t spike into zone 5 but it was in zone 4 for the last 11 minutes of the race.
0.23, 2.20.2, pace 10:22. I was booking it.



Overall:

Garmin says 1:16:40 with 6.35 miles, avg pace 12:05. It also says my 10k time was 1:15:01 (literally one second over my goal, haha), and fastest 5k time was 36:48, which is 1:30 faster than my previous PR!

Disney says 1:16:43, avg pace 12:21.



I did not achieve my goal, but I PRed by 5k AND 10k times no matter if you go by Garmin or Disney, so I’m happy. I’m proud I was able to keep that pace for longer than my 5k in September. Granted the weather was a big difference, but I do feel a lot fitter even after only 9 weeks of this training plan.

Immediately after the race though I texted the friend I’m running Princess with and told her I’m not racing that hard for 13.1 miles and she said “fine with me.” I do have a time goal for Princess (moving time of less than 3 hours), but I also want to stop for selfies at mile markers, do a character stop (my first!), and take a castle photo (obviously). I don’t regret racing the 10k but I did miss the “fun” aspect, but that’s okay because I have two more races to look forward to! (I’m also doing the 10 miler at Springtime and given it will be disgusting by then weather wise, that will be an easy run for me.) I also know I have 7 more weeks of this plan, so who knows, I might be even faster then!



I drank my water and ate my banana, drove home, had some liquid IV in the car, showered, and climbed back into bed.

BIG MISTAKE.

I woke up with my legs killing me and a headache. I took migraine medicine and went to the couch, which helped my legs, but I was starting to feel nauseous. I kept trying to sip water and eat some food bit it was not happening. I finally downed some more Liquid IV and my headache went away, but I was still nauseous. Eventually I threw up. Then I felt fine! I felt so dumb, I KNOW I need to eat after running that long and I thought I was ok with just the banana but my body disagreed. And I definitely was dehydrated. Despite the cold weather I sweated a lot during the race and usually I take liquid IV with me for runs but I didn’t this time. Also remember me not drinking a lot beforehand? Not a great combination. After Princess I’m making myself stay awake no matter how tired I am and EAT and rehydrate.

Today I feel fine. Thankfully I’m not sore, I stretched a lot last night and used my new massage gun.

Not the greatest end to the race and I’m sad I missed the Hurricane Hanna meet up but lessons learned!

 

[WillRunForPizza]

Congrats!

I've noticed that on warm/humid race days, I also get a huge headache a few hours later, even if I eat afterwards. I think it might be a salt thing, so I'm going to try some salt tabs next time I have a humid race or long workout, in case that's helpful for you as well!

 

[Naomeri]

I always bring a salty snack in my gear bag, and some hydration stuff to mix into the bottle of water they hand out post-race (that’s also the only way to make Dasani drinkable )

 

[NYC_MW]

Congrats on the (double) PR!

 

[avondale]

Awesome 10k race! Congratulations! Those last two race photos of you are both terrific. I'm sorry that you didn't feel well after the race, but hopefully you know how to handle it in the future.

 

[GollyGadget]

Woo hoo! Great job!! All your hard work is paying off.

 

[azrivest]

Congrats on the PR! It was great to meet you on Friday morning

 

[superchime]

Congrats on the PR!

 

[nancipants]

33 Days Until Princess Half-Marathon

Ack! It's so soon! I feel both prepared and not.

Here's a quick update of the last few weeks of training:

January 7: 3 mile easy run. On the treadmill. (I usually end up doing weekend runs on the treadmill since I hate getting out of bed early those days, and it's just easier with my kid around.)
January 8: 3 mile easy run. 41:42 Time, 13:51 /mi. Notes say "was not feeling it but got it done."
January 10: 4 mile easy run. 56:33 Time, 14:01 /mi. I did the longer inclines and my heart rate stayed in zone 2.
January 11: 4 mile easy plus strides. Did not do this run. Was not feeling it and my birthday was the next day. I did walk on the treadmill for a little bit.
January 12: 10 mile long run - my longest run ever and on my birthday! 2:16:49, Time 13:40 /mi. My heart rate did go into zone 3 for ten minutes or so, I'm not sure why. Probably going up the big hill. It was nice to get the "longest run" PR on my birthday.

January 14: 3 mile easy run. Did this at my mom's house. 41:19 Time, 13:41 /mi.
January 16: 4 mile HM tempo run (moved this to Tuesday due to the MLK holiday). Did this on the treadmill but I don't remember why. Paces were slow here, I didn't calculate my intervals right on the treadmill. Oh well. (I made up for it this week.)
January 17: 3 mile easy run. Also did this on the treadmill. I think I was watching runDisney race videos. Since it was on the treadmill, I did this continuous and added strides.
January 18: 3 mile easy plus strides. Switched this to an interval run since I was outside. 45:32 Time, 13:37 /mi
January 19: 7 mile M tempo run. I think this was my longest run at this pace. 1:32:40 Time, 13:14 /mi. (Pace should be 13:21.) My notes say: "Got sunny halfway through and I had no sunglasses or visor " Was in zone 3 for 6:51. I also burned 666 calories.

January 21: 4 mile easy run. Did this on the treadmill. I ran continuously for the entire four miles! I think that's the longest I've ever run without a walk break. Forgot to hit the lap buttons so I'm not sure what the individual miles were, but the overall pace was 14:45.
January 22: 4 mile HM tempo run (12:28 pace). This run was hard but good. Also, as I lamented on the running thread, running with period cramps sucks. (TMI: I don't even really get my period anymore because of an IUD, but when I do, the cramps show up way early. Ugh. Should have taken ibuprofen beforehand.) I wore a long sleeve shirt because it was overcast and damp, but of course I warmed up and was too hot the rest of the run. But I did it! I was faster than I should have been, despite trying to go slower as the run progressed. Was in zone 3 for 9:01. My notes say: "Cramps. "

 

[WillRunForPizza]

January 12: 10 mile long run - my longest run ever and on my birthday! 2:16:49, Time 13:40 /mi. My heart rate did go into zone 3 for ten minutes or so, I'm not sure why. Probably going up the big hill. It was nice to get the "longest run" PR on my birthday.

Happy birthday! Lol you know you're a runner when you're excited about running for your birthday

Also, as I lamented on the running thread, running with period cramps sucks. (TMI: I don't even really get my period anymore because of an IUD, but when I do, the cramps show up way early. Ugh. Should have taken ibuprofen beforehand.)

Ugh, I am right there with you rn, just feeling bloated and achy instead of cramp-y. Eggs: the gift that keeps on giving!

 

[azrivest]

January 12: 10 mile long run - my longest run ever and on my birthday! 2:16:49, Time 13:40 /mi. My heart rate did go into zone 3 for ten minutes or so, I'm not sure why. Probably going up the big hill. It was nice to get the "longest run" PR on my birthday.

You're getting there! You'll do great on Feb 25.

 

[Scootin'By]

Notes say "was not feeling it but got it done."

That was me all week!

January 21: 4 mile easy run. Did this on the treadmill. I ran continuously for the entire four miles! I think that's the longest I've ever run without a walk break.

That's awesome! Congrats