Taking it Run Day at a Time (comments welcome)

[LosAngelesRunner]

Hi everyone! I have been so enjoying reading the other training journals, so I feel like it's time for me to start posting here too.

My name's Grant and I'm a 27 year old based in Los Angeles. I work in the entertainment industry out here and have a lot of travel planned this fall, so I figure a training journal with you all with help hold me a little more accountable to get the runs in and give me something to look back on as I progress. Big Disney fan here (obviously!) - grew up as a Disneyland passholder, been on too many Disney Cruises, and in 2019 I checked off my bucket list item of visiting every Disney park in the world when I visited Hong Kong (see below)!



Over the past few years, I've been loving getting more and more into running. I ran the 2020 Los Angeles Marathon in March of that year... which probably should have been cancelled because of the pandemic. The race went... fine... in the sense that I finished but with a super bruised foot that felt broken and my nutrition strategy was definitely inadequate. My clock was 4:50:27 that year. Fast forward, and I ran the 2022 WDW Marathon and felt GREAT during the race (new nutrition strategy and better shoes ftw!) - eventually finishing with a time of 4:38:41 which I was super happy with, though the very bottlenecked start that we're all familiar with crushed my hopes early on of the elusive sub-4:30 marathon that I'm still aiming for one day...

Enjoy the below two faces that really sum up my love/hate of running, too.



I'm currently training for the Santa Rosa Half Marathon (somehow my first half despite having two fulls under my belt!) at the end of August with a great plan that @DopeyBadger put together for me. It's been going well, and I'm very hopeful the train slow, race fast strategy will pay off with a sub-2:00 half in August (or at the very least a time that will put me in a front corral for MW 2023 where I'm running Dopey plus the Castaway Cay 5K!). I may end up doing a few 5K or 10Ks in the fall before Dopey, but will figure it out as we get closer.

I'll recap this past week's training in the next post, but I'm excited to be here with you!

 

[LosAngelesRunner]

So anyone else use Strava out there? Would love to follow you all! So my current HM training plan courtesy of @DopeyBadger consists of 4 runs each week - usually two easy runs, one hills or speed run, and a longer run on the weekends. Been really enjoying the plan and this past week the mileage kicked up noticeably so I was nervous, but I felt great after my long run.

Monday - 5 miles, 11:24 avg pace (easy)
This ended up being a treadmill run due to my work schedule, but I was able to get it in and feel good afterwards. I'm trying not to do too many treadmill runs but sometimes it's the only way it fits into my day and I'd rather run somehow than not at all!

Wednesday - 5 miles, 1 mile WU, 4 x 800m @ 5K pace w/ 3min RI @ WU pace, 1 mile CD
I was admittedly really nervous about this day as the 5K pace days I've been running really tire my out and I feel like I'm pushing my heart rate a lot, but I somehow finished this and it went better than I thought (well, other than two cars almost hitting me but that is LA street running for you). I actually cut my cooldown short by a quarter mile because I was fed up after the second car almost pulled out right into me - ugh! In the end, though, it does feel good to pick up my pace and realize I can maintain that given so much of this training is much slower than race pace.

Friday - 7 miles, 10:49 avg pace (easy)
I love path running, especially in LA given... well exactly what I discussed above... so I do most of my runs on either the LA River Path or at the beach paths so I can just zone in and not have to worry about crossing streets or cars. If you're ever in LA and need to run, I highly recommend either of these paths! The LA River Path is the easiest one for me to get to (only about 5-10 mins from my apartment) and there are some great coffee shops and cafes right on the path for a snack afterwards. I decided to do my 7 miles on the path and it started sprinkling right when I started but it ultimately felt great. Mile times ranged from 10:31 (I finished the final mile doing some strides which sped me up) to 10:54 given some hills.

Saturday - 8.5 miles, 10:23 avg pace (long run)
Back on the LA River Path again! Started earlier than usual given it was looking to be a warm day. This is the longest I've run since Marathon Weekend, actually, so I was nervous about that. I started too fast (I blame choosing a Broadway running playlist that started with two upbeat BOPS) with a 9:52 split but the rest of my miles were within 10 secs of that 10:30 goal pace. I practiced with some new nutrition during the run that I'm crossing off my list - continued to love my Gatorade Endurance formula but I had these energy gummies that were such a pain to chew, will probably go back to Gu gel next time. In the end, felt great to up my mileage and know I can do it though I'm glad this next week pulls back a little....

While I love running alone a lot of the time, I'm trying to find some new running buddies or a running club I can pair up with a few times a month - so stay tuned for if I figure that out....

Hopefully I'm doing this right?? Any feedback appreciated!

 

[DopeyBadger]

Congrats on starting a training journal. Excited to see how you progress!

 

[SheHulk]

Welcome! I love Los Angeles and would love to run the LA Marathon one day! Following along.

 

[lookingforsunshine]

Hi! Loving your journal so far. What Broadway bops do you recommend?

 

[LosAngelesRunner]

Hi! Loving your journal so far. What Broadway bops do you recommend?

So it depends on my mood, but Spotify has a ton of "Broadway Running" playlists that are almost all upbeat. For my long run where I started too fast, You Can't Stop the Beat kicked me off and that beat just did not stop my cadence from going too fast! Some musicals that seem like staples on the playlists are Six, Hairspray, Mamma Mia, Dear Evan Hansen, Legally Blonde, Heathers, and Mean Girls! I am VERY open to more recs, too.

 

[lookingforsunshine]

You Can't Stop the Beat kicked me off and that beat just did not stop my cadence from going too fast!

Ooo, so good. I'm seeing Hairspray in a few weeks.

I love listening to High School Musical when running, if that counts, ha. I find Hamilton very motivating as well. I listen to a lot of showtunes but not always when exercising-- I'll have to try adding more showtune songs to my playlists!

 

[LosAngelesRunner]

This past week went really well! The training plan pulled back on overall mileage so it really felt like a recovery week with mostly easy runs. But I also realized I needed to get a new pair of shoes (especially in advance of a bigger mileage week coming up) so I just got another set of Brooks Adrenaline 21s to ease into.

Monday - 4 miles, 11:28 avg pace (easy)
So today was HOT by LA standards at least - 92-94 degrees during my run though thankfully no bad humidity per LA norms. I had early meetings so could only get out for a run in the middle of the day, so I slowed it down a bit. My splits were really consistent so I'm proud of myself for that but man the heat got me. My summer running tanktop tan is coming in bad...

Wednesday - 1 mile WU, 3 x .75 mile 5K pace w/ 3 min RIs between, 1 mile CD
I was once again pretty nervous for this workout. I don't know why but the 5K paces always give me the jitters before I actually start and realize they aren't that bad and I can DO IT. I found this run really fun by the end of it. Especially after a lower mileage day on Monday then a day off, I was really able to push on those 5K paces and complete every interval fully without feeling like my tank was at empty. I also forgot my headphones for this run but I ended up being fine with it as it helped me focus on keeping the 5K pace during the intervals. I will say I fight the urge to have a shorter cooldown mile as by the end of these I really just want to stop running but today was one of the first times I appreciated the full mile cooldown to get my heartrate back to a more normal level and not be profusely sweating once I get back to my car.

Friday - 4 miles, 10:46 avg pace (easy)
This was a treadmill run, sadly, but I was able to finish it a sweaty mess. A lot of the times I find treadmill runs harder than when I'm actually out on the roads or a path - especially mentally. It feels endless and like I am just watching the mile ticker slowly move by. I even tried to distract myself with a great podcast, but my eyes kept darting to the screen adding .01 miles at a time. Any tips for avoiding this from anyone who does the occasional treadmill run? I've tried covering the screen with a towel but I just end up moving it. Maybe I just need better self control ha....

Saturday - 5.5 miles, 10:30 avg pace (long run)
This was a fine "long" run, especially after last week's 8.5 I definitely ended feeling like I could do more. But that's the goal! Nothing particularly notable to report from this run other than I loved how crowded the LA River Trail was this morning with runners, bikers, and families. I ended the run with a coffee from one of my favorite shops right on the trail - La Colombe!

Overall, a solid week in my eyes and I'm ready for the next. Hopefully I can start breaking in the new shoes and won't have to turn to the treadmill for a run!

 

[DopeyBadger]

Any tips for avoiding this from anyone who does the occasional treadmill run?

Is it a gym treadmill or home treadmill? I like watching TV or movies on the treadmill when I have a vested interest. I don't do as well with things that have commercials because then my attention drifts back to the running. So sports or news don't work as well for me. But Netflix or Prime Video works. But if it's a gym treadmill, you may have less control over the content on the TV. Maybe an iPad or something positioned over the treadmill screen?

 

[Herding_Cats]

This was a treadmill run, sadly, but I was able to finish it a sweaty mess. A lot of the times I find treadmill runs harder than when I'm actually out on the roads or a path - especially mentally. It feels endless and like I am just watching the mile ticker slowly move by. I even tried to distract myself with a great podcast, but my eyes kept darting to the screen adding .01 miles at a time. Any tips for avoiding this from anyone who does the occasional treadmill run? I've tried covering the screen with a towel but I just end up moving it. Maybe I just need better self control ha....

Is it a gym treadmill or home treadmill? I like watching TV or movies on the treadmill when I have a vested interest. I don't do as well with things that have commercials because then my attention drifts back to the running. So sports or news don't work as well for me. But Netflix or Prime Video works. But if it's a gym treadmill, you may have less control over the content on the TV. Maybe an iPad or something positioned over the treadmill screen?

I did I'm pretty sure 100% of my training runs for MW on the treadmill for the months of November and December (partially because of having a toddler, partially because of the weather [snow], partially because a good half of that is firearm deer season and I run past a lot of state land where things can sometimes get "interesting", and partially because I'm a big sissy about the cold and would rather be in my nice climate controlled house.)

So yes. Treadmill running. I cover my screen. No peeking! This is mental training as much as run training. It's great prep for that section between MK and AK during the full when there's almost nothing, or after you get out of AK and head toward Blizzard Beach. I know approximately how long I should be running for and then if I'm doing music/podcast only allow myself to look at the screen after x number of songs or at the conclusion of the podcast. The runs were taking long enough at that I could usually get through a whole podcast.

OR. tablet/tv with a show or movie. Cover the treadmill screen. Long run? Movie. Weekday run? Show/episode. I watched almost all of the marvel movies that were on Disney+ in the fall (minus a couple of the Thor ones and Ultron.) WandaVision. Hawkeye. Loki. I tended to watch stuff I knew my husband wouldn't be interested in watching. There were multiple occasions where I did a super long cooldown walk because I was almost done with an episode or movie but my run was "over."

 

[Naomeri]

Joining in to agree with watching something on streaming. I got a tripod thing that I could stick my iPad in so I can position it directly in front of the treadmill at face level so I stay straight, with my head up. I’m partial to watching musicals on the treadmill.

 

[azrivest]

I love the Adrenaline's! They're a great pair of all-around shoes.

 

[LosAngelesRunner]

All great tips! I only do treadmills at the gym, so I think I just need to suck it up and not feel "lame" by bringing my big iPad into the gym and setting it on the treadmill screen. I've tried to put a TV show on my iPhone before but it doesn't cover the entire screen and my eyes wander back up to the slowly moving mile counter... I think I just need to find a great upbeat show or movie to keep me going.

I love the Adrenaline's! They're a great pair of all-around shoes.

Yes! I used to be a big Nike runner but had a proper fitting a little over a year and a half ago that switched me over to the Brooks and I've loved it ever since. The change helped avoid a lot of the foot and ankle pain I experienced during my first marathon - so I'm going to stick with the shoe! If it ain't broke I won't be fixing it.

 

[avondale]

All great tips! I only do treadmills at the gym, so I think I just need to suck it up and not feel "lame" by bringing my big iPad into the gym and setting it on the treadmill screen. I've tried to put a TV show on my iPhone before but it doesn't cover the entire screen and my eyes wander back up to the slowly moving mile counter... I think I just need to find a great upbeat show or movie to keep me going.

Agree about bringing in a tablet to watch something. Best bet is something you can download ahead of time and not have to stream because your signal will probably be bad.

A problem I often had with gym treadmills and tablets...my tablet tended to vibrate off of the little ledge on the treadmill. I learned to bring with me a bit of the non-slip fabric-sort of stuff that you can put under rugs to keep them from moving on a hardwood floor - or something else similar would work. Your tablet falling on to the treadmill belt and then shooting off the back is a cracked screen waiting to happen, lol.

 

[GollyGadget]

I also find treadmill running to be an incredible mental struggle. Aside from watching tv, I also break up the run so I can count down the minutes/seconds. This is really good for any type of interval training since those are typically short. It's more challenging for easy runs, but I've found it possible to break up into 1/2mi or shorter and change speeds. Usually I'll start at the slower end of easy and up my pace by .1 with each half mile. If I start to top out my easy pace, then I'll work my way back down. It can still be a bit of a drag, but it at least gives me something to look forward to.

 

[LosAngelesRunner]

Another week in the books! Mileage was back up this week and my new shoes arrived, so I was feeling ready to tackle this week's runs. I even managed to do all of them outside rather than in the gym on a treadmill - but I'm ready to use all of your tips next time I'm back indoors. ALSO - a highlight of this week for me was seeing all of the Disney Wish content coming out now that the ship has been christened and has passengers. I'm doing the cruise right after Marathon Weekend next year, so it was exciting finally seeing it all in action. I feel a little underwhelmed by some of the ship, though it might just be how influencer-y the coverage has been during the preview cruise.... anyone else here booked on a sailing on the Wish anytime soon?

Ok - onto the runs!

Monday - 5 miles, 11:28 avg pace (easy)
This was a pretty unmemorable easy run for me. I did test out a new 5 mile loop around my neighborhood and liked it a lot, so I bet I'll be doing it again for some of the 5 milers. Not too hilly and not too many streets to cross - which equals a big win for me. I also do love these Monday easy pace runs as they're - well - easy! Each week I'm reminded of how far I've come in running just over the past few years that I could even run 11:28 miles for this long without being absolutely winded by the end.

Wednesday - 1 mile WU, 2 x 1 mile 5K pace w/ 3 min RI between, 1 mile CD
Oof. This run was tougher than I expected, but it was also a hotter morning than I was hoping for - a dangerous combination. The warmup and first 5K mile interval was fine - then I realized the second mile interval would be on a slight incline and my pace slipped about 20 secs during that mile, and I felt VERY winded by the end so I cut the final cooldown mile short by .25 miles to get back inside. Not the best showing but I'm happy I ran both of the 5K mile intervals relatively well especially given the night before I didn't sleep as much as I hoped.

Friday - 7.5 miles, 10:48 avg pace (easy)
So I woefully underprepared for this run. I don't usually eat before my weekday runs but I should've had something before this one given how long I'd be on my feet for. By mile 6 I was feeling the lack of nutrition and carbs, almost hitting a wall. But I slowed down my pace a hair and ended up finishing this but my muscles felt TIGHT after this one. I stretched and hydrated and got some food, but my legs were really in pain all day. So by the evening I decided to push the run I'd normally do on Saturday to Sunday. Gotta listen to my body!

Sunday - 9.5 miles, 10:20 avg pace (long run)
After Friday's mistake, I was ready to fuel up appropriately for this run and had my Gatorade Endurance Formula bottle with me during the workout. It made ALL the difference. I felt clearheaded, strong, and like I could even do more miles despite a faster pace than Friday. I'm not SURPRISED but I guess it goes to show I just need to actually be intentional about fueling up on 7+ mile runs moving forward. Lesson learned! BUT I am glad to be back in the (almost) double digits, and was so happy with my performance today. Honestly, my pace was faster than I should have been running (closer to 10:30/miles) but I didn't feel exhausted at the end, plus my legs already feel better than they did Friday evening - so this is a win in my books. I also started a new audiobook (The Paris Apartment if anyone else has read!) and I'm very intrigued as I'll keep listening to it next week...!

Hope everyone else had a great week of running!

 

[The Expert]

Late to the treadmill advice party, but I do 95% of my runs on my treadmill, including Dopey training last year. I save guilty pleasure shows (looking at you, Outlander) to watch ONLY on the treadmill, which motivates me to actually do my runs as I'm looking forward to the content. During NFL season I put on the red zone channel for my Sunday LRs, which is basically a continual feed of live highlights from as many as four or five games at a time. (I can't watch when my Chiefs play, though, as I have to focus and get way too carried away to not fall and kill myself on a treadmill.)

 

[LosAngelesRunner]

Whew - this felt like a longggggg week at work despite being a shorter week because of the holiday, but I've gotten through it and it's a BEAUTIFUL weekend here in sunny Los Angeles. I'm about to head to the beach for the afternoon and enjoy the sunset in Santa Monica - so apologies to all of you in the south suffering through some major heat. We're a lovely 85 degrees without humidity today.

On another note - my guilty pleasure of every summer started this week - BIG BROTHER! Does anyone else here watch? I'm basically addicted. I watch the three shows a week and usually have the live feeds on in the background throughout the day. I will say - I could probably watch them during treadmill runs and not even realize time is passing. I'm looking forward to having that option moving forward now that the season has started.

I also booked my flights and officially signed up the the Santa Rosa Half Marathon I've been training for at the end of August. I'll be staying with a friend who lives in Santa Rosa, and the budget airline Avelo had a great half off sale for flights this weekend so I finally made the race weekend "official". Only 50 days until the race which feels closer than I expected. Time to kick training into high gear!

Monday - *I didn't get my 4.5 mile slow run in today but I did do a 8 mile 4th of July Hike!*
So I didn't get my run in, but I was active and did a nice long hike for the holiday. I figured it was best not to overdo it with the hike and a run as I was still sore from the Sunday long run. I appreciated having a different kind of activity on my feet today and I think taking the day off really set me up for success the rest of the week.

Wednesday - 2 mile WU + 10 sets of 400m @ 10K pace (with 15 sec RI between) + 1 mile CD
This one really winded me in the best way. By the end I was struggling to hold onto that 10K pace but held on my a hair (the last one I was about 7 secs slower than my target). The 15 second resting intervals were just too darn short! I could have used a full 45 sec or a minute to recover, but I know that's part of the training. I will be happy not to do this one again.... for two more weeks. Sigh.

Friday - 7 miles, 10:45avg pace
Today was another easy paced day and I felt good and strong during this one. I tried a new route that ended up being hillier than expected so I slowed down during the 3rd and 4th miles, but the average pace ended up right on target given I did some strides the last mile that sped me up. I am cranking through my audiobook of The Paris Apartment and I am so intrigued. Can't wait to finish this one.

Saturday - 1 mile WU + (7 min @ EasyA pace + 7 min @ EasyB pace + 7 min @ Long Run + 7 min @ Marathon Tempo + 7 min @ HM Tempo + 7 min @ Tempo w/ 45 sec RI between pace changes) + 1 mile CD
I was really looking forward to this run all week! I love having smaller intervals to break up my longer runs (which is why I loved doing the run/walk method for MW2022) so this was a fun one. I ended up doing this on the treadmill so I nailed each pace, and I decided to watch Strange Things on my iPad to distract me a bit from the ticker (thank you for the suggestions!). I was SWEATY by the end but felt great and this sort of run really helped me identify with the paces more than before and realize I could maintain my HM tempo much longer than today's 7 mins.

I head to NYC for work at the end of this week, so I'll be doing my next long run in Central Park which I'm very excited about! I'll really have to be mindful of adjusting my pace for the humidity and temperatures out there, but running on some new paths will be much needed.

 

[DopeyBadger]

The 15 second resting intervals were just too darn short! I could have used a full 45 sec or a minute to recover, but I know that's part of the training. I will be happy not to do this one again.... for two more weeks. Sigh.

 

[lookingforsunshine]

I also started a new audiobook (The Paris Apartment if anyone else has read!) and I'm very intrigued as I'll keep listening to it next week...!

I read this book when it was released! Hope you enjoy.