"Sometimes the right path is not the easiest one." - 1st Training Journal (comments welcome!)

[Livelovedance]

Hi everyone! This is my first (ever) training journal, and despite saying I'd just use a notebook to keep track for myself, I decided to create my own thread here. If anyone decides to continue reading, please be patient with me! Despite being a fairly long time member of the Disboards, I've never done a lengthy thread of my own. We'll see how this goes!

Okay, so a little bit of information before I begin:
- When I was younger, I hated running.
- Fast forward many years, and somehow I wanted to do it and actually enjoyed it.
- I started out backwards. I signed up for many races, and never did any formal training. Not that I was a "I don't need to train" person, but I guess I used the races as my "informal training." I'd start in the back, informally run/walk as much as I could, and try to improve my time with each race I did. I've run numerous 5Ks, as well as some 5 mile and 10K races this way.
- In 2018 I ran my first runDisney race weekend (the Disney Princess Half Marathon weekend). I heard about runDisney and learned as much as I could from the runDisney forum. I registered for and ran the 5K and 10K that year and had a BLAST. That weekend was a weekend like no other. I decided that the following year I wanted to push myself to run my first ever half marathon in Disney.
- I signed up for the 2019 Princess Half Marathon Weekend (5K and Fairy Tale Challenge), and continued signing up for races as my informal training. No real plan except to run more, and try to get faster. I signed up for a local 10K race for POT and just made it with a finish time of 1:14:36.
- Running my first half marathon, along with the 5K and the 10K in 2019 was another amazing experience. I know most people don't like Princess weekend, but it's the only one that has worked for my schedule, and I have no complaints! This could be because I have nothing to compare it to, but that's okay! I never felt more accomplished than the day I crossed my first half marathon finish line.
- I ran more races in preparation for 2020, along with a little running on my own. I ran the same local race for POT and strived to do better than I did before. Goal accomplished: finish time of 1:13:30!
- This year I completed all three races for the 2020 Princess Half Marathon weekend. The weather was pretty terrible (freezing and raining... until the sun came out during the half) and clothing/outfit wise I was no where near prepared. I was one of those people at Disney Springs the afternoon of the 5K shopping for cold weather gear! Although I enjoyed the overall experience, I'm glad it wasn't my first runDisney experience. I probably wouldn't have wanted to do it again!

What's next?
This year I went through the nail biting registration experience again, and I'm in for all three races again for Princess Weekend 2021. With dismay, I noticed the POT requirements changed, and it's a pretty far reach for me.

The covid-19 pandemic has drastically changed my running plans, because all of my normal races have turned to virtual. This was a little heartbreaking, because that means my chances for POT got even slimmer. However, I will say it was also a positive because it lead me to realize how much I enjoy running for me, and how I want to change my methods and try an actual training plan.

I reached out on a thread here on the boards, and received my first training plan from @DopeyBadger!
I start tomorrow and I'm feeling all the feels!

So here it begins. I don't know how often I'll post here, but I hope to keep up with it and learn a lot in the process. Here are my current goals to push me through this new journey:

Running Goals:
1. Get faster. (not a drastic improvement, but I want to see progress)
2. Run my first marathon at WDW (2022?)
3. Stretch goal = Complete my first Dopey Challenge (2023?)

 

[Livelovedance]

Monday, July 13, 2020
This summer I started running on my own, until I decided to reach out here for some advice. I'm excited to start my training plan, but I also know I have a lot to learn so I'm a little nervous! Today I went out for a walk. I'm trying to get some form of exercise every day, but I also don't want to push it because I want to make sure I'm able to do the planned runs correctly. Due to my schedule, my current plan is for 3 days a week at about an hour each time.

Today's walk started with a plan of walking for an hour, paying attention to my walking pace and form. At some point, I wanted to attempt the running pace I have to start using tomorrow (14:00). I've never actually tried to run at a slower pace before, so I wanted an idea of what it felt like. My plans got slightly derailed because I ended up running into a friend from work on my walk! I paused my workout on my watch to talk, and then ended up walking with her a little while (forgetting to resume my workout! ). Luckily I did remember eventually and turned it back on. By the time she left, I finished my hour walk, then attempted the 14:00 run pace for a short time and distance, just to get an idea of what it felt like before I do it with intervals tomorrow. To end my workout I took a much slower paced walk to cool down. Here's my stats:

*Note, I use an Apple Watch with the Nike Run Club app. I know it's not the most reliable but it serves my purposes. I also recently downloaded and learned to use the Intervals Pro app!*

T+D: 141 (I took a screen shot of the weather before I started, but I did't calculate this until the end, which made me realize if this was my actual run I would've had to have gone even slower! I have a lot to learn )

Outdoor Walk:
Focus: Form and walking pace
Distance: 3.10 mi
Total Time: 0:58:11
Avg. Pace: 18'43"/mi
Notes: This got a little wonky due to running into my friend, stopping and forgetting to resume the workout, and walking at a different pace due to talking, but it's okay!

Outdoor Run:
Focus: Figure out what a 14:00 average pace feels like!
Distance: 0.14 mi
Total Time: 0:02:01
Avg. Pace: 14'07'/mi
Notes: Got it!

Outdoor Walk:
Focus: Relaxed walk, cool down
Distance: 0.26 mi
Total Time: 0:05:54
Avg. Pace: 22'37"/mi
Notes: I stopped passing others and allowed myself to just slow down until the end.

Today was a nice walk. It was sunny and warm, but not unbearable. It felt good to get outside and move. I'm both nervous and excited to start tomorrow!

 

[col1]

Welcome 😀 good luck with your plan 👍 I have also started a journal about 6 weeks ago. I post every week as to how the week has went and have found that I look forward to writing the report as it keeps me accountable. look Forward to reading your progress 👍

 

[DopeyBadger]

Congrats on starting a journal! Excited to see how it plays out!

 

[Livelovedance]

Welcome 😀 good luck with your plan 👍 I have also started a journal about 6 weeks ago. I post every week as to how the week has went and have found that I look forward to writing the report as it keeps me accountable. look Forward to reading your progress 👍

Thank you! That's my hope as well, accountability! I read some training journals here yesterday for some tips as to what notes are beneficial to keep.

Congrats on starting a journal! Excited to see how it plays out!

Thank you! Me too!

 

[Livelovedance]

Tuesday, July 14, 2020
Training Plan Day 1!
This morning I woke up with a little pain (plantar fasciitis). Other than that, and being a little tired, I felt good and was ready to go. The weather was very nice for running. T+D of 135, but there was a nice breeze so I didn't feel the need to make any adjustments. Today was a very interesting run. I started with a half mile walk just to get my legs ready to go, and then started the run/walk sequence. I'm sure I looked crazy to most people that were running and walking around me, because I spent the majority of the time trying to figure out my pace and stride. I'm glad I briefly tried it out yesterday, because I had a little bit of a baseline to go with.

Before I left the house this morning I went back to check the settings on the intervals app, and I noticed there was a place to put in time and distance goals. I put my distance goal for 2 miles for that workout, and then went into the intervals and set my target running pace for 14:00 ~ 14:30, and target walk pace for 17:00 ~ 17:30. I figured this would help by alerting me if I was too far off pace. I started out somewhat okay. Then the alerts started. Slow down 2 minutes and 30 seconds, speed up 1 minute... I tried to do my best to adjust in enough time for each interval, but it was hard to keep up with. I started feeling a little knee pain, I think because I made my stride so much shorter than usual, so I lengthened my stride and tried to focus on an up motion instead of an out motion to slow me down. That helped stop the knee pain. At one point the app said slow down 5 minutes (it must've happened right when a new interval was starting), and that completely threw me off. I tried to change my pace, and as you'll see below, it brought some of my intervals all over the place! At one point I was walking when I was supposed to be running. It was a mess!

All in all, I think I did okay. In the end it felt like an easy run, and I definitely could've done more, which was the goal. The only disappointment was that the intervals app ended and I hadn't reached 2 miles. I have to pay attention and make some adjustments to fix that for next time. I took a longer slow walk at the end to get a little more mileage in.

T+D: 135

Outdoor Walk:
Focus: Warm up to get my legs moving
Distance: 0.50 mi
Total Time: 0:11:00
Avg. Pace: 21'51"/mi

Outdoor Run: The Nike app and the Intervals app clocked this a little differently, so I'll post both versions here:
(Nike Run Club)
Focus: Easy/LR - 2 mile @ 60/30 sec @ 14:00/17:00 paces
Distance: 1.94 mi
Total Time: 0:30:42
Avg. Pace: 15'45"/mi
(Intervals Pro)
Focus: Easy/LR - 2 mile @ 60/30 sec @ 14:00/17:00 paces
Distance: 1.92 mi
Total Time: 0:30:02
Avg. Pace: 15'40"/mi
Intervals:
Runs = 14:06, 13:31, 18:29, 13:24, 13:05, 13:59, 13:38, 14:37, 15:46, 14:54, 14:29, 14:45, 14:22, 14:45, 14:54, 15:46, 15:28, 14:37, 15:37, 14:14
Walks = 15:46, 17:07, 15:10, 17:52, 17:29, 16:45, 21:10, 19:09, 19:37, 20:07, 19:37, 18:42, 19:37, 18:42, 18:17, 19:09, 21:44, 16:45, 17:07, 18:42
Notes: Figuring out the pacing and appropriate stride length was a little challenging, but I know it'll get better over time. Other than that, it felt like an easy walk, the only real effort was towards the stride and trying to find a way to slow down comfortably. For that reason, it felt like a successful start!

Outdoor Walk:
Focus: Relaxed walk, cool down
Distance: 1.35 mi
Total Time: 0:28:18
Avg. Pace: 20'55"/mi
Notes: Nice relaxed walk to finish the day

 

[disneygpa]

At some point, I wanted to attempt the running pace I have to start using tomorrow (14:00). I've never actually tried to run at a slower pace before, so I wanted an idea of what it felt like.

My first DopeyBadger plan slowed me down too. I was skeptical at first, but soon found that it was absolutely the right thing to do!

Good luck with your training! Looking forward to see how it goes for you!

 

[Livelovedance]

My first DopeyBadger plan slowed me down too. I was skeptical at first, but soon found that it was absolutely the right thing to do!

Good luck with your training! Looking forward to see how it goes for you!

Thank you! I’m definitely trusting the process and looking forward to seeing where it takes me! Once I can comfortably make the adjustments I know it’ll fall into place more easily.

 

[avondale]

Tuesday, July 14, 2020
Training Plan Day 1!
This morning I woke up with a little pain (plantar fasciitis). Other than that, and being a little tired, I felt good and was ready to go. The weather was very nice for running. T+D of 135, but there was a nice breeze so I didn't feel the need to make any adjustments. Today was a very interesting run. I started with a half mile walk just to get my legs ready to go, and then started the run/walk sequence. I'm sure I looked crazy to most people that were running and walking around me, because I spent the majority of the time trying to figure out my pace and stride. I'm glad I briefly tried it out yesterday, because I had a little bit of a baseline to go with.

Before I left the house this morning I went back to check the settings on the intervals app, and I noticed there was a place to put in time and distance goals. I put my distance goal for 2 miles for that workout, and then went into the intervals and set my target running pace for 14:00 ~ 14:30, and target walk pace for 17:00 ~ 17:30. I figured this would help by alerting me if I was too far off pace. I started out somewhat okay. Then the alerts started. Slow down 2 minutes and 30 seconds, speed up 1 minute... I tried to do my best to adjust in enough time for each interval, but it was hard to keep up with. I started feeling a little knee pain, I think because I made my stride so much shorter than usual, so I lengthened my stride and tried to focus on an up motion instead of an out motion to slow me down. That helped stop the knee pain. At one point the app said slow down 5 minutes (it must've happened right when a new interval was starting), and that completely threw me off. I tried to change my pace, and as you'll see below, it brought some of my intervals all over the place! At one point I was walking when I was supposed to be running. It was a mess!

All in all, I think I did okay. In the end it felt like an easy run, and I definitely could've done more, which was the goal. The only disappointment was that the intervals app ended and I hadn't reached 2 miles. I have to pay attention and make some adjustments to fix that for next time. I took a longer slow walk at the end to get a little more mileage in.

T+D: 135

Outdoor Walk:
Focus: Warm up to get my legs moving
Distance: 0.50 mi
Total Time: 0:11:00
Avg. Pace: 21'51"/mi

Outdoor Run: The Nike app and the Intervals app clocked this a little differently, so I'll post both versions here:
(Nike Run Club)
Focus: Easy/LR - 2 mile @ 60/30 sec @ 14:00/17:00 paces
Distance: 1.94 mi
Total Time: 0:30:42
Avg. Pace: 15'45"/mi
(Intervals Pro)
Focus: Easy/LR - 2 mile @ 60/30 sec @ 14:00/17:00 paces
Distance: 1.92 mi
Total Time: 0:30:02
Avg. Pace: 15'40"/mi
Intervals:
Runs = 14:06, 13:31, 18:29, 13:24, 13:05, 13:59, 13:38, 14:37, 15:46, 14:54, 14:29, 14:45, 14:22, 14:45, 14:54, 15:46, 15:28, 14:37, 15:37, 14:14
Walks = 15:46, 17:07, 15:10, 17:52, 17:29, 16:45, 21:10, 19:09, 19:37, 20:07, 19:37, 18:42, 19:37, 18:42, 18:17, 19:09, 21:44, 16:45, 17:07, 18:42
Notes: Figuring out the pacing and appropriate stride length was a little challenging, but I know it'll get better over time. Other than that, it felt like an easy walk, the only real effort was towards the stride and trying to find a way to slow down comfortably. For that reason, it felt like a successful start!

Outdoor Walk:
Focus: Relaxed walk, cool down
Distance: 1.35 mi
Total Time: 0:28:18
Avg. Pace: 20'55"/mi
Notes: Nice relaxed walk to finish the day

Nice job!

Don't stress about the paces for the different intervals jumping around. With 60/30 intervals, you aren't actually covering that much distance in each interval, so the precision of the GPS will not be great. A small error in the distance from GPS will cause your pace to seem very different. If you're averaging around your target, then you're doing fine.

 

[Livelovedance]

Nice job!

Don't stress about the paces for the different intervals jumping around. With 60/30 intervals, you aren't actually covering that much distance in each interval, so the precision of the GPS will not be great. A small error in the distance from GPS will cause your pace to seem very different. If you're averaging around your target, then you're doing fine.

Thank you - this is exactly what I needed to hear! Taking this into consideration made for a much smoother run this morning!

 

[Livelovedance]

Thursday, July 16, 2020
Yesterday was a very busy and active day. I woke up this morning sore and very tired, but I got myself out of bed and got myself out there for this morning's run. Before I left I added a few more run intervals to the app to make sure I hit the 2.0 miles this time, but it never synced with my watch. One day I'll get this right!

Despite being tired and sore, I knew I could manage the Easy/LR scheduled for today. I started with a half mile slow walk to wake up and get my legs moving, moved on to the run, and took a nice half hour cool down walk to try to avoid that stiff leg feeling at the end.

T+D: 128

Outdoor Walk:
Focus: Warm up
Distance: 0.51 mi
Total Time: 0:11:26
Avg. Pace: 22'24"/mi

Outdoor Run:
(Nike Run Club)
Focus: Easy/LR - 2 mile @ 60/30 sec @ 14:00/17:00 paces
Distance: 2.01 mi
Total Time: 0:31:37
Avg. Pace: 15'43"/mi
(Intervals Pro)
Focus: Easy/LR - 2 mile @ 60/30 sec @ 14:00/17:00 paces
Distance: 1.9 mi
Total Time: 0:30:02
Avg. Pace: 15'50"/mi
Intervals:
Runs = 16:41, 15:46, 14:22, 15:02, 14:29, 14:22, 15:02, 15:28, 14:14, 14:54, 14:45, 13:45, 16:45, 15:02, 14:29, 17:18, 15:10, 14:14, 14:37, 15:02
Walks = 18:17, 17:07, 17:29, 17:29, 17:07, 19:37, 16:45, 17:52, 18:17, 17:52, 16:25, 16:45, 16:45, 17:29, 18:17, 20:07, 18:42, 19:09, 17:52, 17:29
Notes: Today I took @avondale's advice and tried not to put as much focus on the interval times. I tried to get a feel for each interval on my own, using the app notifications as a general guide, but not looking at my watch constantly. It definitely helped. At the end I didn't realize the Intervals app ended and I was still going (with the Nike Run app still running). I only realized it when I noticed there was no notification to change intervals! Note to self: remember to force the app to sync with the watch whenever I make a change!

Outdoor Walk:
Focus: Cool down
Distance: 1.37 mi
Total Time: 0:30:01
Avg. Pace: 21'51"/mi

 

[avondale]

Thursday, July 16, 2020
Yesterday was a very busy and active day. I woke up this morning sore and very tired, but I got myself out of bed and got myself out there for this morning's run. Before I left I added a few more run intervals to the app to make sure I hit the 2.0 miles this time, but it never synced with my watch. One day I'll get this right!

Despite being tired and sore, I knew I could manage the Easy/LR scheduled for today. I started with a half mile slow walk to wake up and get my legs moving, moved on to the run, and took a nice half hour cool down walk to try to avoid that stiff leg feeling at the end.

T+D: 128

Outdoor Walk:
Focus: Warm up
Distance: 0.51 mi
Total Time: 0:11:26
Avg. Pace: 22'24"/mi

Outdoor Run:
(Nike Run Club)
Focus: Easy/LR - 2 mile @ 60/30 sec @ 14:00/17:00 paces
Distance: 2.01 mi
Total Time: 0:31:37
Avg. Pace: 15'43"/mi
(Intervals Pro)
Focus: Easy/LR - 2 mile @ 60/30 sec @ 14:00/17:00 paces
Distance: 1.9 mi
Total Time: 0:30:02
Avg. Pace: 15'50"/mi
Intervals:
Runs = 16:41, 15:46, 14:22, 15:02, 14:29, 14:22, 15:02, 15:28, 14:14, 14:54, 14:45, 13:45, 16:45, 15:02, 14:29, 17:18, 15:10, 14:14, 14:37, 15:02
Walks = 18:17, 17:07, 17:29, 17:29, 17:07, 19:37, 16:45, 17:52, 18:17, 17:52, 16:25, 16:45, 16:45, 17:29, 18:17, 20:07, 18:42, 19:09, 17:52, 17:29
Notes: Today I took @avondale's advice and tried not to put as much focus on the interval times. I tried to get a feel for each interval on my own, using the app notifications as a general guide, but not looking at my watch constantly. It definitely helped. At the end I didn't realize the Intervals app ended and I was still going (with the Nike Run app still running). I only realized it when I noticed there was no notification to change intervals! Note to self: remember to force the app to sync with the watch whenever I make a change!

Outdoor Walk:
Focus: Cool down
Distance: 1.37 mi
Total Time: 0:30:01
Avg. Pace: 21'51"/mi

Temporarily taking @DopeyBadger 's place as a math nerd, I worked out what your distance should have been on your prior run, which I commented on. If your 60-second intervals were at a 14:00 min/mi pace and your 30-second intervals were at a 17:00 min/mi pace, then with the number of intervals you did, you should have covered 2.01 miles. Your reported distance was a bit less than that, but it seems close enough for what you're aiming for.

Keep up the good work!

 

[Livelovedance]

Saturday, July 18, 2020
Today was my 4 mile Easy/LR. Thanks to some commitments I didn’t do any physical activities yesterday, so I was actually off on my off day.

I went out this morning for my run, after creating a new workout on the intervals app for the longer distance (and remembering to sync it this time). I added extra intervals just in case, which I ended up not needing. It was foggy with 98% humidity, but it didn’t feel too terrible on my route. I figured I’d just slow down if needed. I had a little trouble remembering what the 17:00 walk pace felt like. I knew I could use a bigger stride than my run intervals, but I never quite got the grasp on the pace. They’re only 30 seconds though so I didn’t stress it.

The one thing that was difficult was going around people (especially groups of 2 and 3) while trying to maintain my pace. It was a balancing act trying to decide if I should go ahead or stay behind, depending on which interval I was on.

T+D: 145

Outdoor Walk:
Focus: Brief warm up
Distance: 0.25 mi
Total Time: 0:06:17
Avg. Pace: 24'42"/mi

Outdoor Run:
(Nike Run Club)
Focus: Easy/LR - 4 mile @ 60/30 sec @ 14:00/17:00 paces
Distance: 4.05 mi
Total Time: 1:04:45
Avg. Pace: 15'58"/mi
(Intervals Pro)
Focus: Easy/LR - 4 mile @ 60/30 sec @ 14:00/17:00 paces
Distance: 4.03 mi
Total Time: 1:04:10
Avg. Pace: 15'55"/mi
Intervals:
Runs = 14:52, 15:02, 14:54, 14:36, 14:54, 14:37, 13:31, 15:19, 15:02, 15:02, 15:19, 14:14, 15:10, 15:28, 14:07, 14:14, 16:56, 15:19, 12:58, 14:37, 14:29, 14:37, 15:10, 15:10, 16:35, 16:05, 14:45, 15:19, 16:05, 14:45, 15:37, 16:15, 14:14, 14:45, 16:25, 15:28, 14:37, 15:10, 15:02, 14:07, 15:19, 14:45, 14:14
Walks = 18:42, 12:34, 19:37, 16:25, 16:05, 17:52, 26:49, 17:07, 18:42, 18:42, 17:52, 20:07, 17:29, 16:25, 18:42, 20:37, 19:09, 19:09, 17:29, 19:37, 20:37, 19:37, 17:52, 19:09, 18:17, 18:17, 19:09, 18:17, 17:52, 19:37, 18:17, 15:10, 20:07, 20:07, 17:52, 20:07, 18:17, 17:29, 17:29, 18:42, 18:17, 20:07, 15:19
Notes: This time I added extra intervals just in case, so I’d be sure to hit the right mileage. I got to 4 miles and then manually ended the workout. I also thought I should mention I usually start the Nike app, then start the intervals, and then once the intervals are done I go back and end the Nike app, so the Nike app always has a little more time. I like to use both though because all of my past runs before training are on there. Today was still easy, which makes me feel good knowing I’m pretty much on track with the plan so far.

Outdoor Walk:
Focus: Cool down
Distance: 1.37 mi
Total Time: 0:30:01
Avg. Pace: 21'51"/mi

Running at a slower pace has definitely made running a little more enjoyable. I’m not out of breath or pushing too hard, but I still get the feeling of accomplishment (even without the sweat )!

Week one ✅

 

[DopeyBadger]

Running at a slower pace has definitely made running a little more enjoyable. I’m not out of breath or pushing too hard, but I still get the feeling of accomplishment (even without the sweat )!

 

[Livelovedance]

Tuesday, July 21, 2020
(Posting today because I didn’t have enough time yesterday)
Today I went back to my 2 mile Easy/LR. The two days off in a row is long, but it was appreciated due to the weather recently! I lucked out because it wasn’t too bad in the morning.

This time I went out with my older Brooks to change it up a bit, but I did experience a little knee pain and ankle pain in the beginning. It may be almost time to retire these in favor of my newer ones, but I figured it was okay due to the short mileage.

This run was pretty uneventful. Nothing new to share. Here’s the stats:

T+D: 141

Outdoor Walk:
Focus: Warm up
Distance: 0.50 mi
Total Time: 0:12:29
Avg. Pace: 24'50"/mi

Outdoor Run:
(Nike Run Club)
Focus: Easy/LR - 2 mile @ 60/30 sec @ 14:00/17:00 paces
Distance: 2.08 mi
Total Time: 0:32:54
Avg. Pace: 15'49"/mi
(Intervals Pro)
Focus: Easy/LR - 2 mile @ 60/30 sec @ 14:00/17:00 paces
Distance: 2.07 mi
Total Time: 0:32:42
Avg. Pace: 15'46"/mi
Intervals:
Runs = 15:34, 14:45, 14:37, 14:14, 14:45, 15:10, 13:59, 15:02, 14:29, 13:45, 14:37, 14:37, 14:54, 15:19, 15:10, 15:37, 14:37, 14:45, 15:56, 15:46, 15:19, 15:10
Walks = 16:25, 16:25, 19:37, 17:52, 17:29, 25:08, 18:42, 17:07, 18:17, 17:29, 17:29, 19:09, 18:17, 19:09, 17:07, 17:29, 16:45, 17:52, 17:52, 18:17, 18:42, 17:21
Notes: I’m still working on my pacing, but I tried to focus on the feel of each interval and my form.

Outdoor Walk:
Focus: Cool down
Distance: 1.30 mi
Total Time: 0:28:51
Avg. Pace: 22'09"/mi

@DopeyBadger
Looking ahead to next week, I’m scheduled for my first R pace workout: 1.5 mi @ WU + 5 x 30 sec @ R w/ 2 min RI + 0.5 mi @ CD
Just double checking - this means five 30 second run intervals at the R pace, with 2 minute walking intervals between each one, correct? I know your notes said WU/CD/RI are all just easy efforts or walking, but should I have a pace in mind? I usually time my informal warmup and cool down separately from the training plan miles. Should I be counting the warmup & cool down with it this time?

 

[DopeyBadger]

@DopeyBadger
Looking ahead to next week, I’m scheduled for my first R pace workout: 1.5 mi @ WU + 5 x 30 sec @ R w/ 2 min RI + 0.5 mi @ CD
Just double checking - this means five 30 second run intervals at the R pace, with 2 minute walking intervals between each one, correct? I know your notes said WU/CD/RI are all just easy efforts or walking, but should I have a pace in mind? I usually time my informal warmup and cool down separately from the training plan miles. Should I be counting the warmup & cool down with it this time?

Correct, that would be five 30 second reps at R pace with 2 min walking intervals. But I wouldn't necessarily get hung up on the "pace" of R because the interval length is too short for GPS to be meaningful. So I'd just focus on the effort of "catch a bus".

For the WU/CD you could easily just do the normal easy/LR intervals (60/30 at 14/17). For the resting interval, I would probably just walk the whole thing. The key is just making sure you feel fully rested and back to normal before the next R interval. If not, then either slow down the RI the next time, or take a longer break. R is only as good as the quality of the reps.

Just do like you normally do. So the 1.5 mile WU should be in addition to your normal warm up routine.

 

[Livelovedance]

Correct, that would be five 30 second reps at R pace with 2 min walking intervals. But I wouldn't necessarily get hung up on the "pace" of R because the interval length is too short for GPS to be meaningful. So I'd just focus on the effort of "catch a bus".

For the WU/CD you could easily just do the normal easy/LR intervals (60/30 at 14/17). For the resting interval, I would probably just walk the whole thing. The key is just making sure you feel fully rested and back to normal before the next R interval. If not, then either slow down the RI the next time, or take a longer break. R is only as good as the quality of the reps.

Just do like you normally do. So the 1.5 mile WU should be in addition to your normal warm up routine.

Perfect, thank you!

 

[Livelovedance]

Just a brief update:
The last time I went to the running store they were having a sale on Feetures socks. I had never worn any type of running sock before, but I figured a sale is a good enough reason to give them a try...

I. LOVE. THESE. SOCKS.

So much so that I don’t want to run in regular socks anymore, which is becoming a first world problem now that I’m running more often. Thanks to the Internet, that problem was solved last night, and I have some new pairs coming my way!

You know it’s serious when a tracking update for socks is exciting!

 

[avondale]

Perfect, thank you!

I think R pace intervals are really fun, in a killer kind of way! YMMV Good luck with them!

 

[Livelovedance]

I think R pace intervals are really fun, in a killer kind of way! YMMV Good luck with them!

Thank you!
I'm actually looking forward to it. I'm enjoying each run now, but it'll be nice to have a chance of pace (both literally and figuratively) . We'll see how I feel about it once I actually do it lol