Running Renaissance: Road to Paris 2024

[GollyGadget]

Drake Road Race Half Training - Weeks 6&7/13
Eeeesh, another chaotic couple of weeks. This is going to be another short and sweet update. I'm beginning to question whether or not training for a race during a move was a good idea. Fortunately, the biggest challenge has been updating this thing. There have been a few missed/shortened runs but for the most part those were not related to the move.


Scheduled
Monday - Off
Tuesday - EB 5 miles
Wednesday - CV 10x2min
Thursday - EA 4 miles
Friday - Off
Saturday - EB 6.25 miles
Sunday - long run 6.5 miles
Monday - Off
Tuesday - EB 5 miles
Wednesday - Alt K M tempo/HM tempo
Thursday - EA 5 miles
Friday - Off
Saturday - EB 8 miles
Sunday - long run 10.5 miles

Completed
Monday - Off
Tuesday - EB 5 miles
Wednesday - CV 10x2min - this went much better than expected after the previous CV workout. Running outdoors helped a ton.
Thursday - EA 4 miles
Friday - Off
Saturday - EB 2.3 miles - Had a volunteer meeting in the morning and the afternoon task of hanging our kayaks took much much longer than expected. There were storms in the forecast so I tried to sneak in the run while we were seeking shelter in the basement but the power started surging so I didn't make it very far.
Sunday - long run 6.5 miles - I woke up to a text that my grandmother had passed. In many ways, she's been gone for a few years due to Alzheimer's but this was still not an easy goodbye. I struggled to get out the door but once I was out there, it helped me sort through some thoughts. For recovery, I spent 6 lonely hours in the car driving to my mom's
Monday - Off
Tuesday - Alt K M tempo/HM tempo - moved this workout up a day because I knew I likely wouldn't have time on Wednesday. This was a really good run. I ran in a park that I used to run in high school and it was comforting to be somewhere so familiar. It's also the park where my grandma took me fishing once, the only time I've ever fished in my life.
Wednesday - 6 mile hike - Took my mom on a hike to get her out of the house for a while. It was a good distraction, great company, and awesome weather.
Thursday - EA 5 miles
Friday - Off
Saturday - EB 3.35 miles - did this run after I drove the 6 hours back home. I was exhausted mentally, physically, and emotionally but still found the will to get out the door and see how far I felt like going. It wasn't very far and it was SLOW.
Sunday - Off - after Saturday, I decided that I really needed the rest day. Kind of worried that I missed a long run, but I know it was the right decision at the time.

To end on a bright note, my cousins were also in town and now there's a group of us planning to run wine and dine. I'm not sure if I want to do the challenge or just the half but I guess I better get to deciding since registration is a week away. I've always ran runDisney races alone so it'll be fun to have some company.

That's all for now. Happy running my friends!

 

[DopeyBadger]

Condolences

 

[GollyGadget]

Condolences

Thank you

 

[GollyGadget]

Drake Road Race Half Training - Week 8/13
Who had an on time journal update on their March Madness bracket? We're still without internet but my life is slowly getting back to normal. I've unpacked and organized nearly all the boxes in my jurisdiction. We still need to sort the garage and I need to decide what I want to do with my race memorabilia. There will definitely be some sort of display in the guest/workout room but not sure what. In the previous house I had an 8 foot shelf with a curtain rod below. The shelf was full of all sorts of race knickknacks and the curtain rod full of medals. I'm wanting to downsize the display but not real sure how to do it. I've been debating just displaying a few select medals but that's going to leave a lot of others behind which is probably okay but I'm not sure yet if I'm okay with it.

Anyway, on with the training!

Scheduled
Monday - Off
Tuesday - EB 5 miles
Wednesday - M tempo
Thursday - EA 4 miles
Friday - Off
Saturday - EB 5 miles
Sunday - Progression 6 miles

Completed
Monday - Off
Tuesday - EB 5 miles - since the move, I've been playing around with different routes trying to find one that sticks. During this run, I realized I don't really like one of the trails I've been using. It follows a somewhat busy road and just isn't as relaxing as the other trail. I'll probably still use it when I need to change things up but for now I'm going to avoid it.
Wednesday - Off - I don't have a good excuse for this one, just poor scheduling. I had a haircut over lunch when I usually run and then I really don't remember but something came up after work...
Thursday - M tempo - my initial plan was just to push everything out a day. With all my inconsistency lately, I really wanted a week with no missed runs. This run was a struggle to start. The warm up was slow and it took me a while to get going but I eventually found my groove.
We also saw a local cover band that plays the music of my youth. I may have had a couple too many green beers so I was very enthusiastic, dancing and singing to every song. My voice was gone on Friday and my calves were incredibly sore. Maybe I should go out more often for the leg workout?
Friday - Off - it was cold and rainy and I wasn't feeling the best (see above) so I just took the scheduled rest.
Saturday - EB 5 miles - got a bit of a slow start on Saturday. Daylight savings was a rough adjustment for me this year. I was very surprised and somewhat confused when my usual route was marked for a race. Turns out that I was running mile 23 of a local marathon. It was good motivation and made the run a bit more interesting. All the runners looked amazing for being so far into the race. Hopefully they didn't mind me passing them and cheering on my measly 5 miler.
Sunday - Progression 6 miles - I totally forgot that there was a warm up and cool down in addition to the progression so I was in for another surprise. Other than spacing out for a bit on the first progression mile, the run went really well. I checked out a trail that I haven't been on in several months and that was a nice change. My legs felt tired during the back half but nothing of concern. More just like a "hey, we're not used to this" and I found it a bit refreshing to be pushing myself in that way.

All in all, another mediocre training week. I can't believe there's only 5 more weeks until my race. I'm feeling good about finishing but not so sure about my time goal. I guess we'll have to see how these next few weeks go.

Happy running all!

 

[GollyGadget]

Drake Road Race Half Training - Week 9/13
We're getting real close to race day! I'm a bit disappointed with my training so I don't have high expectations. Life has not been kind to me the last several weeks. There have been a lot more missed runs than I would have liked but when I review each individual skipped run, there aren't many that I regret not completing. At this point, I'm just trying to survive the training.

I'm already signed up for another half 6 weeks after this one. I've been debating if I should switch focus and just use the upcoming race as a training run but I'm not particularly good at holding myself back on race day and the weather in June will undoubtedly be much warmer than I prefer so not really good conditions for a goal race. I suppose I'll see how this week goes. If training continues without issue I'll keep the current plan but if I need to alter or miss any runs, that will be one more reason to adjust my plan.

Scheduled
Monday - Off
Tuesday - EB 5.5 miles
Wednesday - Alt Ks
Thursday - EA 5.5 miles
Friday - Off
Saturday - EB 8.5 miles
Sunday - Long run 10.5 miles + M 1 mile

Completed
Monday - Off
Tuesday - EB 5.5 miles - It was rainy all day but the run actually wasn't too bad. It was more of a mist than a downpour so the only thing that got really wet were my socks from the puddles. I also noticed a pretty cool reflection on one of the bridges as I ran across.

Wednesday - Alt Ks - I had to go in the office on Wednesday for the first time in months. With the sunrising much later now, I hit the treadmill around 6a for a pre work run. I was pleasantly surprised at how well it went. I usually struggle a lot mentally (and sometimes physically) on the treadmill.
Thursday - ? 4.5 miles - I decided it was time to get my introverted self to another group run. We were meant to run 5 miles but missed a turn somewhere and ended up short. I somehow ended up in the lead for the first couple of miles which were at my easy pace but then let another guy lead the group and he sped us up closer to HM tempo. I knew it was faster than I should be running but for once I was running with others and I just wanted to be part of the group. I crossed my fingers that it wouldn't be too detrimental.
Friday - Off
Saturday - EB 9 miles - still figuring out my routes for longer runs and this one I miscalculated. I ended up a bit further from home than expected so got to run an extra half mile to get home.
Sunday - Off - I woke up with an extremely sharp pain on the top of my right foot. Initially, I thought since it wasn't the top of my foot that it wasn't running related. It didn't really bother me to walk on it but standing and stairs were a problem. After a quick visit to Dr. Google, I realized it could in fact be related to overtraining so I decided I should just skip the run and hope the pain went away before my next run. This one really kills me on the inside. The furthest I've ran this training is 9.5 miles and I think some of the skipped runs are causing extra stress on my body since I didn't do all the build up as intended. As I said at the top, I'm going to see how this week goes and revisit if I need to make any changes.

Thanks for reading and happy running!

 

[GollyGadget]

Drake Road Race Half Training - Week 10/13
I’ll try not to spoil the training recap too much but this week went much smoother and I’m feeling much better about race day. However, I still have doubts about this week’s training. It’s peak week after all, so of course it’s meant to be challenging.
@DopeyBadger - do you have any concerns about the Sunday long run? I’m scheduled for 12 miles + 1 mi. However, I missed the 10.5 miler on 3/13 and the 10.5+1 on 3/27 so it feels like i be jumping ahead of myself. And now I'm realizing that I haven't run double digits since January.... Yikes.

Anyway, on with the show!

Scheduled
Monday - Off
Tuesday - EB 6 miles
Wednesday - M Tempo Progression
Thursday - EA 4 miles
Friday - Off
Saturday - EB 7.5 miles
Sunday - Progression 7 miles

Completed
Monday - Off - The pain in my right foot was gone so I was second guessing my decision to skip the run on Sunday, but at that point it was past the point of no return.
Tuesday - EB 6 miles - our sneak peaks of spring were gone and it was back to layering up for runs. The mental energy it takes me to figure out what to wear for my runs is exhausting. I'm ready for warmer temps so I can just wear shorts and a tank everyday. The run was good and the foot was a non issue.
Wednesday - M Tempo Progression - took me a while to get into pace which is the norm but my second and third progressions were right on track so I'm counting the run as a success. I also got to see some deer! This probably isn't very exciting for a lot of you, but we don't get much wildlife in the city.

Thursday - EA 4 miles - bit of a relief to have such a short run. Makes it easier to squeeze in. However, I woke up to snow on Thursday and was not at all pleased about it. I spent the rest of the day in a funk and it took a lot to get me out the door. However, I knew I needed a solid week of training and could not afford to miss this run.
Friday - Off
Saturday - EB 7.5 miles - this run was quite windy but the temp had increased so I didn't need any layers . The run itself was good too and I got to run past this nice work of art.


Sunday - Progression 7 miles - needed a change of scenery so I headed to a nearby park to run the 4 mile loop around the lake there. It was a nice change of pace (literally and figuratively ). Really enjoyed pushing myself on this run but it did get difficult. I honestly wasn't sure that I'd be able to hit the 8:15 pace for the last mile but managed to find a new gear and somehow went even quicker? Excluding the warm up and cool down my mile splits were 9:41, 9:22, 9:11, 8:52, 8:46, 8:33, 8:04. I'm still not very good at honing in on a specific pace, but I don't think this run could have gone any better. I was questioning my hm time goals during this run but kept reminding myself that it was okay if 8:30 felt difficult for this run. It will feel easier on race day once I'm tapered. I'm still not so sure about the 1:50, but at this point I feel like I have nothing to lose.

There was some chatter about medal displays on the marathon thread this week: https://www.disboards.com/threads/marathon-weekend-2023.3863625/post-63883458

I'm still trying to figure out what to do with mine. I previously had them hanging from a curtain rod but the lanyards always made them look messy. I don't really want to remove the lanyards but I also want something that looks neater. For now, they're just laying on the guest bed. But at least they're unpacked!


Happy running my friends!

 

[GollyGadget]

Drake Road Race Half Training - Week 11/13
I survived peak week! I wish I was doing better than just surviving but it is what it is. I keep seeing ads for the local fall half and have to keep telling myself no. My body needs and deserves an easy summer.

Scheduled
Monday - Off
Tuesday - EB 6 miles
Wednesday - Special K
Thursday - EA 6 miles
Friday - Off
Saturday - EB 9 miles
Sunday - Long run 12 miles + fast finish

Completed
Monday - Off - I ran a mile during our GOTR practice and my knees hurt . I always wear my dog walking shoes because I don't want to put the miles on my running shoes but I guess it's time.
Tuesday - EB 6 miles - I barely remember this run but I swear it happened. My notes are that it was overcast but not rainy or windy. If that doesn't express how late our spring has been, I don't know what will. It's been unpleasant out for weeks. I'm so ready for it to be warm so I can just wear shorts and a shirt for running without worrying if I have the right layers.
Wednesday - Special K - this run was tough. I had to get out before the sunrise because I actually had to go into the office plus I had a work dinner so no time for running after work. Some of the intervals felt easy and some impossible. Turns out there were 30mph winds and because I was running laps one direction was easier than the other. Apparently I stopped for a pre sun photo.


Thursday - Off - it was not pleasant outside this day. I woke up to 40 mph winds and I'm pretty sure we also got snow. I thought I would just run on the treadmill after work but once that time came, I just wasn't feeling it.
Friday - EA 3.5 miles - I woke up this morning ready to run. It still wasn't pleasant out so I headed to the treadmill and only made it 3.5 miles before I read ready to call it.
Saturday - EB 10 miles - there is a social run at my local running store on Saturday morning so I decided to try it out. I knew they ran a 5 mile route and the store was 4 miles round-trip so it seemed like the perfect fit. Unfortunately, I was quickly outpaced by everyone in the group. They were running a pace that I could probably keep but I knew I had an important run the next day and didn't want to jeopardize it. I ended up running the 5 mile social run by myself. It wasn't the worst. I got to run a new route but it was pretty disheartening. I can't imagine being a newer runner that shows up and everyone is running 8:30 miles. Then on the way back I somehow added an extra mile. Since I missed a few miles mid week, I wasn't too worried about this.
Sunday - Long run 12 miles + fast finish - I really wasn't sure about this run. Saturday night I noticed my right foot was aching in the same place it hurt two weeks ago. However, I knew this was my last long run so I decided just to see how things went. Despite some troubles with my watch and a stop at the porto, the run went well. I accidently lapped when I meant to pause which caused my run to end about 8 miles early . I kept going until my watch said 6 and then turned around. My goal was to make it 12 and if I felt like I had another mile in me, I'd take the long way home. I was starting to hurt but still had momentum so I went the full 13. I'm fully ready for a couple of down weeks though. To recover, we hung some boards on the guest room walls for my medals. I'll share a photo once the medals are actually hung .

In non training news, they announced the themes for marathon weekend and I am stoked. I listened to my mousercise album to get ready. I briefly debated running the 10k + marathon but my non-running husband quickly talked me out of that . He actually thought it was too much running and had no idea that thousands of people run the challenges. Ultimately, I just decided that I enjoy the marathon being the focus of my weekend and I didn't need any other distractions.


Happy running my friends! I hope that spring has sprung wherever you may be.

 

[garneska]

Omni had that album when I was a kid.

 

[GollyGadget]

Omni had that album when I was a kid.

I must confess that this is not from my childhood. I picked it up at a thrift store several years ago. I still love it though!

 

[GollyGadget]

Had some extra time during my lunch break so I was able to hang my medals on the new display. Well, most of them... There are still 11 non Disney medals in a pile on the guest bed.


The Disney board looks a little bare right now but there will be 4 more medals on it come January

 

[Naomeri]

That’s a nicely simple display.

 

[lookingforsunshine]

That display is very cool!

 

[GollyGadget]

That’s a nicely simple display.

Thank you! I had done the hanging medal thing previously but I could never get it to not look a mess.

That display is very cool!

Thanks! It's literally just a few boards bolted to the wall. Hopefully whoever buys our house in a few decades likes it too

 

[GollyGadget]

Drake Road Race Half Training - Weeks 12 & 13/13
Week 12 was another struggle of a week. We had more snow and cold and it's just been a real downer for me. I typically don't complain about weather and I even enjoy winter for a few months but spring is officially over a month late and it's undoubtedly impacting my mood. At this point, I'm guessing we're going to skip spring and go right to summer. I just want some sunshine.
Week 13 was better but I was traveling for work which altered my training a bit but not much. Actually, even though I've been on this same team for over 5 years, everyone was shocked that I woke up early to run. I guess they haven't been paying much attention to my running habits while I've been remote.

Scheduled
Monday - Off
Tuesday - EB 6 miles
Wednesday - M tempo progression
Thursday - EA 4 miles
Friday - Off
Saturday - EB 7.5 miles
Sunday - Long run 8 miles
Monday - Off
Tuesday - EA 5.5 miles
Wednesday - mini prog
Thursday - EA 3 miles
Friday - Off
Saturday - EB 2 miles

Completed
Monday - Off - GOTR - I was looking forward to not running but the girls needed partners and there was an odd number. When a girl asked me if I'd be her partner, I couldn't say no. Practice got cut a bit short so I only had to run 3/4 mile. It was probably good to get my legs moving anyway.
Tuesday - EB 6 miles - we had storms on the way so I had to sneak this one in. It was really windy and overcast which seems to be the norm these days.
Wednesday - Off - blegh, the weather officially got to me this day. I really wanted to skip GOTR because I was having such a rough day but I made a commitment to those girls so I showed up for them.
Thursday - 1.4 miles - I tried to do the marathon progression that I missed on Thursday. I wasn't thrilled about running but I was hoping that getting outside would boost my mood. It didn't. I made it through the warm up and a few minutes of m tempo before I called it. My mood was impacting my running and I just wanted to blob on the couch. I was in such a place that I decided to walk the mile home even though running would have been twice as fast. I just couldn't. 🛋
Friday - Off
Saturday - off
Sunday - off - my entire weekend was emotionally tough. I couldn't bear the thought of another run like Thursday so I did nothing.
Monday - Off - GOTR - it was snowing again, because of course it was so we had practice inside. Indoor practice means no running for the coaches
Tuesday - EA 4.5 - I was in a hotel traveling for work. I had trouble getting my key to let me into the gym so by the time I got that all sorted, I had to cut the run a tad short. I'm not used to the whole running first thing in the morning or trying to be presentable for work. Hopefully I don't have to get used to it, but I definitely learned that I need to build in more contingency time.
Wednesday - mini prog - as mentioned above, another run before work. The weather was actually behaving (aside from the wind) so I went outside.
Thursday - EA 3 miles - I had to be in the office by 7 and I wasn't interested in running in a strange place alone before sunrise so I was on the treadmill again. I was actually surprised by the number of people in the hotel gym. If you weren't there by 5:45, you weren't getting on a machine.
Friday - Off
Saturday - EB 2 miles - I got to take Bucky on this run. It's been a long time since I've gone out with my favorite running buddy. She was a good distraction from the 40mph winds. I'm hoping to sneak her out for more short runs in the future. She was definitely gassed after the 2 miles.



So, that's it. Training is over and race day is tomorrow.

Earlier this week, the weather was predicted to be 80!!! I couldn't believe my luck that it'd finally warm up on the one day I really didn't want it to. I'm happy to report that the high tomorrow is only forecast to be 60. Temps will get to around 50 by the time I expect to finish so it's pretty close to ideal running. There will be wind of course, but it looks like the sustained winds will be less than 20mph so I'm one lucky gal.

Training has been subpar. Had I run every mile of my training, I would have covered nearly 390 miles. Instead, I'm barely over 300 which is somehow more than I would have guessed. I had some good weeks and I had pretty good fitness coming in so I'm still going to try for a new PR. I'm guessing it's a 50/50 chance but I've got nothing to lose.

 

[lookingforsunshine]

I love Bucky!!!

300 miles seems like so much to me. That’s amazing! I guess I’ll be there this year too!

Also, that’s cool that you’re a GOTR coach. I love that program and got to volunteer with them a couple of times. Am considering running princess weekend for them too.

 

[GollyGadget]

I love Bucky!!!

I may be biased, but she's a pretty cool dog

300 miles seems like so much to me. That’s amazing! I guess I’ll be there this year too!

Aww, thank you! 300 is still quite a few miles which is part of the reason I still think I have a shot at my goal. Of course, the 90 missing miles are nothing to sneeze at.

Also, that’s cool that you’re a GOTR coach. I love that program and got to volunteer with them a couple of times. Am considering running princess weekend for them too.

I've officially coached 5 seasons and it's always been rewarding. I sort of forgot to sign up last fall but still ended up subbing at my site quite a bit. I'm sure GOTR would love your fundraising efforts. The school I volunteer at has a lot of refugees and those girls would not be able to participate without the financial support of others. I think that's a lot of what keeps bringing me back. I love that I'm providing them a fun atmosphere to make friends and set goals which they otherwise wouldn't be able to afford through traditional sports teams/activities.

 

[SheHulk]

GOOD LUCK in your race!!!!!

 

[azrivest]

Good luck for your race.

And agree with lookingforsunshine, it's amazing that you coach GOTR!

 

[GollyGadget]

Drake Road Race Recap (aka <1:50 or bust)
Pre Race
I woke up 10 min before my alarm which was delightful. It gave me plenty of time to make some tea and toast a couple of pop tarts. I know pop tarts aren't the healthiest choice, but they've never done me wrong and if I forget to buy them they're easy to find.
After brekkie it was time for the morning dog walk. During our quick lap around the neighborhood, I noticed my right knee felt a little twinge. Nothing painful, just a gentle reminder that it was there and I needed to do my dynamic warm up.
We arrived at the race 30 min before the start and snagged one of the last parking spots in the parking lot. It was a bit chilly walking to the start (feels like <40) but since my husband was running, I didn't have the luxury to bundle up until the last minute. We ducked into the stadium and to my surprise the potty line was only 10 women deep so I decided that was my best opportunity. I did a few stretches while waiting in line and then finished my routine outside. By that time it was only 10 min to go so I headed for the corral. This race is centered around a big track meet and attracts a lot of speedsters so I found a spot in the middle.

Miles 1-4
The race starts right outside Drake Stadium and the weather was perfect. As with most races, it was a tad crowded at the start. I kept reminding myself to just settle in and not swerve too much. The pr hopes were somewhat of a pipe dream and I was going to need all the energy I could manage. No reason to waste extra steps in the first quarter mile jockeying for position!


New this year were a bunch of student groups out cheering. Bless their hearts for waking up at 7a on a Sunday. I didn't get a good look at any particular group but there were lots of costumes and signs. They definitely helped create a fun race atmosphere.

I did my best to find a comfortable pace without worrying too much if I was hitting the desired pace exactly. This portion of the race was net downhill so I was expecting to "bank" a few seconds for the uphills to come. The course stayed fairly crowded even as we passed the turn offs for the 5K and 10K. Fortunately it was wide enough that it wasn't difficult to settle in for the ride. Mile 4 included 150 ft of descent and at one point my lap time was 7:35. That made me worried that I was letting gravity take me a bit too fast. 🏎

Mile 5-8
At the start of mile 5 I realized I was surrounded by 6ft tall white guys which I found a bit unsettling. Don't get me wrong, I love 6ft tall white guys so much that I married one, but it did make me feel out of place. Where were my shorties at?

After the glorious downhill that was mile 4, miles 5 & 6 would be spent climbing back up that elevation. None of the hills were daunting by themselves but I don't typically run any hills unless it's to cross a bridge. I gave myself permission to take them slow and not push. I still had half the race left after all!

I could feel the effort in my legs after the uphill but I was still chugging along. At this point a fellow runner came up for a chat and asked my goal. I was honest with him that I was trying to break 1:50 and even though I was on pace to do so, didn't have a lot of confidence that it would happen. I knew the back half of the race was flatter but I did not know how long I could hang on.

Miles 9-12
Around mile 9 I was met by a surprise downhill. Sadly, it was quickly followed by another climb. Not near as extreme as earlier in the race and I was thankful that we didn't run the course backwards.

Just after the uphill we headed west. We were less than half a mile from the finish line but started heading the opposite direction . Obviously I knew I had a few miles to go but it was still disheartening to be going geographically further away.

It was around mile 10 when I realized that as long as I could keep moving forward at a decent pace, I would be darn near close to that big scary goal. Of course, this is also when I started noticing some pain in my right hip and glute.

Mile 11 was mostly unnotable which is generally how I prefer mile 11 to go. At mile 12, I was greeted again by the student groups. They seemed to have a lot more energy than they did when I had passed them early on in the race and once again I was thankful for their energy.

The Big Finish
I was just a few turns away from a new PR and I was stoked to be approaching the famous trackside finish line. I made sure to smile for a few cameras during my victory lap but once I got to that final 100m, it was all eyes on the prize.


I'm incredibly pleased with how the race went. I couldn't have asked for better conditions or results. I'm still recovering from my runner's high nearly 12 hours later. More thoughts on what's to come once I'm thinking clearly again



Oh yeah, I almost forgot... Official time of 1:48:03

 

[Naomeri]

I love your emoji depiction of being the crowd of tall people! I can relate so much!