Somehow, The Marathon Returned - comments welcome!

[nancipants]

I was watching the recording of last Tuesday's Zoom and I thought that might be you. Congrats and welcome to the team!

Oh, and BTW, the progression walk that I commented about is a Chris Twiggs workout. If you are interested, you can ask him to add that to your calendar as well.

Thanks! He mentioned it as possible cross training as well.

 

[The Expert]

I finally signed up for Galloway Customized Training! I

I am still considering it, but too much travel this month to start yet. I'm very interested to hear how you like it!

 

[sandam1]

Thanks! He mentioned it as possible cross training as well.

Yes, it usually takes the place of a cross-training day. I've actually tweaked it from time to time and, if I don't have time to get in a full four miles, I will use the same concept for whatever time that I have - i.e. if I can do 2 miles, I do 1/2 mile at each pace or if I have 40 minutes, I'll do 10 minutes at each pace. For me, it keeps the walking interesting because I feel like there is a purpose and a goal to the workout.

 

[nancipants]

Yes, it usually takes the place of a cross-training day. I've actually tweaked it from time to time and, if I don't have time to get in a full four miles, I will use the same concept for whatever time that I have - i.e. if I can do 2 miles, I do 1/2 mile at each pace or if I have 40 minutes, I'll do 10 minutes at each pace. For me, it keeps the walking interesting because I feel like there is a purpose and a goal to the workout.

This is why I usually walk on the treadmill, so I can vary paces/inclines and make it interesting. Glad to hear your tweak the workout because I definitely don't have time to walk four miles at a time during the week, but I can do 30-45 minutes!

 

[nancipants]

I am still considering it, but too much travel this month to start yet. I'm very interested to hear how you like it!

So far, I'm enjoying it, but I'm only a week in! Ask me again at the end of August when I have a 17 mile training run and end of September when I do 20.

 

[Herding_Cats]

So far, I'm enjoying it, but I'm only a week in! Ask me again at the end of August when I have a 17 mile training run and end of September when I do 20.

I am feeling the same. 10mi on Sunday and 6mi today. Not excited about the 16 and 6 or the 20 and 8 that are on my schedule for July and August.

 

[sandam1]

Ask me again at the end of August when I have a 17 mile training run and end of September when I do 20.

Not excited about the 16 and 6 or the 20 and 8 that are on my schedule for July and August.

Either I've officially become the grizzled veteran or I'm just looking at this through rose colored glasses from the injured reserve sidelines, but I saw these and went "oh, those distances aren't that bad." I suspect that it's both!

 

[nancipants]

Either I've officially become the grizzled veteran or I'm just looking at this through rose colored glasses from the injured reserve sidelines, but I saw these and went "oh, those distances aren't that bad." I suspect that it's both!

I do appreciate that there’s only one super long run per month on my schedule! It makes all the in between stuff (mile repeats, 800s, and magic miles) feel so much easier.

 

[avondale]

water running

My brain took way too long to figure out what you meant by this. I was thinking "She's running while carrying water. Why is this a specific workout?" But then I figured it out!

 

[nancipants]

Update on my Flipbelt:

I originally bought a medium and it worked ok for shorter runs, but rode up significantly after a few miles. Bummer, because otherwise it was perfect for my needs and easy to use the restroom. So I ordered a small off Amazon and tried it on my last long run. It worked great! So glad, because I really liked it.

But now I have a Flipbelt I can’t use, soooo… guess I’ll ask here if anyone wants it? I’m probably too far out of the return window to get any credit from Flipbelt, plus I bought it at an expo.

 

[nancipants]

Went to the outlet mall today and checked the Adidas outlet on a lark for the Adizero Evo SLs. They didn’t have them, but they DID have the Adizero SL2s, and they felt so nice! They were 40% off so I decided to give them a try. If I like them, I might try to find the Evos somewhere. (Yes, I have been influenced by Erin Azar/mrsspacecadet).

We also went to the Disney character warehouse and I found a Helly Hansen rain jacket for $54. Thanks, Norway!

They also had some runDisney magnets so I picked up the marathon I Did It magnet for $1.

 

[nancipants]

Updates!

I am still enjoying Customized Training! The weekly Zoom calls are fun and informative, and Coach Twiggs is awesome and super supportive. I've done all my runs so far, even the weekend long runs which are like running on the surface of the sun. And they haven't even gotten into double digits yet! I had an 8 mile long run on June 8 and 9 miles this past Sunday (June 22). I'm probably going to start cutting the long runs short and doing the remainder of the "running" in the pool. I did a long out and back route this week that kept me in the shade most of the time, but it was still so hot. I've also been walking the first mile with my dog, since I need to walk her in the morning anyway.

Last Sunday (June 15) I did a 1 hour prediction run, where I ran 30 minutes, turned around, and ran back home. The goal was to get back to the start at exactly 1 hour, so even pace/splits. I got back 40 seconds early, so I was very pleased! Especially because it felt like I was slowing down due to it getting hotter/brighter outside. I only looked at my watch a few times during the run (you're not supposed to look at all, oops), so I'm settling into my easy pace.

The other runs during the week are Race Rehearsals and Drills/Hills. I really like the drills. The cadence drill has already helped improve my pace, both running and walking, and I find myself counting steps when workouts start getting hard. I also like the acceleration gliders, which have helped me get faster on the walk portions of my run/walk because I don't "stop" abruptly. I do 5 minutes of them during my workouts, and my pace was in the high 12:00s without even trying to go fast, and it didn't feel hard. So maybe I should just do acceleration gliders for an entire race.

For the race rehearsals, I've been playing around with different ratios. Last week I did 30/15, 40/20, and 60/30 for 8 minutes each. Interval 1 was 12:12 pace, Interval 2 was 11:57 pace, and Interval 3 was 11:51 pace. This week I did 30/30 and 60/30 for one mile each. Mile 1 was 12:43 and Mile 2 was 11:25! I definitely felt like I was working hard, but not too hard. Also, it's freaking hot, so I could probably have run 30 seconds faster in cooler temps. Still, it's gonna be awhile until I can sustain 11:25 for an entire half (what I need for a Disney POT).

Races

My goal for the 2025-2026 season is to do one race every calendar month. Here's what I have scheduled so far.

Margaritaville 10k, September 27
After swearing off the 10k last year for being too hot and having a crappy course, I decided to give it another try this year. They're doing a half marathon for the first time, so I know I won't be one of the last finishers, and the course map for the 10k doesn't show the same awful out and back into the sun.

Amelia Island Half, October 12
I'm officially registered for the Amelia Island half marathon and have a hotel booked! I'm using it as an excuse to visit a good friend who lives on the island, as well as hopefully meet Coach Twiggs in person (he lives there, and has known my friend her entire life! small world). Also, I watched a video from a few years ago from Jack from Rise and Run/Passport to Run when she did the race, and it looked really pretty, if hot! So it will definitely be a long run/vibes kind of race.

Space Coast Half, November 30
I'm not registered for this yet, but will be running it unless something comes up. I have a friend who lives close by, so I can crash at her place and not need to get a hotel. This will also be a long run/party race, since the course time limit is very generous and the crowds come out to cheer. I will either join the 3:15 pace group or run/walk with my friend. I need to take it easy, because...

Orlando Half Marathon, December 6
... I will be running another half marathon six days later. This one, I want to race. I did it last year and got sub-3, which I was really happy with. This time I want to try for 2:45 or faster. I'll have to decide closer to the race whether I want to join the 2:45 pace group, or try 60/30 intervals on my own and see what I get. 60/30 is what the Galloway pace groups use for 2:30, so I need to get comfortable with that for whenever I try for a POT.

Disney Marathon Weekend 5k, January 8
This will be walking.

Disney Half Marathon, January 10
SPECTATING!

Disney Marathon, January 11
Running this with @Herding_Cats and whoever else joins Team Not-So-Fast! I would like to be "faster" than last year, but mostly I just want to finish feeling better.

Donna Half Marathon, February 1
This may be a POT attempt. Coach Twiggs recommended it as a fast race, and they use Galloway pacers. It will depend on what my magic mile is by then. It needs to be in the 9:30 range to predict a 2:30 half, so I've got a while to go. And of course, the weather is always a factor. I got really lucky with races last year, so I'm due for some uncomfortably warm ones. At the very least, it will be "recon" for a future POT attempt. I've heard good things about the race, and it raises money for a good cause.

Princess Half Marathon, March 1
Woo-hoo, I got in! Super excited to run year three. I never thought I'd do ONE of these, and here I am, back again. Goals for this race will depend on what happens at the Donna. I may use this as a POT attempt, but I'm not crazy about the idea of doing that at Disney. That said, I'm familiar with the course and logistics, and know they use Galloway pacers. (Watch, that will be the race they have Clarabelle out on the course!) But like with Donna, it will be very dependent on the weather.

Now I'm just waiting for Springtime Surprise themes to determine what I'm doing in April!