To Infinity and Beyond - Becoming a Better DopeyBadger (Comments Welcome)

[DopeyBadger]

You do training plans for most of us, you spend time with G to build her costume, you're going to open up a psychiatry practice and now do door-to-door for your fans. When are you going to find time to train?

Seriously that is really nice of you.

Lol. I’ve got a little more extra free time these days compared to when I was training for 12-20 hrs per week with cycling and running. But I’d say your above list is pretty encompassing to all my free time outside of work. These last few weeks have been pretty busy for training plan writing with marathon weekend coming up. I think I’m somewhere around 20 or so and they take about 1-2 hrs each on average. Some are harder to write than others. I’ve got to get G’s costume finished up so I can work on my own. Hoping it’s less time consuming since I only have weeks to go instead of months. So it’s all about trying to piece together a few minutes here and there to get it all done.

 

[DopeyBadger]

Ms. Marvel - Finishing the inside and Installing the lights!
-Initial Design and Working on the Bracelet
-Fun with magnets
-Bengal Painting
-Making the Top of the Fist
-Finishing the foam fist construction and painting (part 1)!
-Painting (part 2)!

The first step to finishing the inside of the fist was finding something for G to grab onto inside the fist. We wanted it to be sturdy enough and comfortable enough (so something like a paper towel roll is less desirable because it isn't sturdy). We went through the house and eventually settled on a wooden dowel rod. I cut it to size, then bore out a little of the foam to make a nice little nesting spot. In the below picture you can see one of the downsides of the constant opening and closing of the two halves, the magnets are too strong and are ripping out of the foam. So we're going to be selective about when we open and close it moving forward.



Then used our cement glue to hold it in place.



It worked well and had nice balance.

Next up was the installation of a place for the battery pack for the lights. We had already carved out a nice little spot on the bottom half of the fist where the fingers are. Intentionally made this a flat spot to make it easier to work with. I placed the battery pack in position and then lined up some velcro tape on either side. So the velcro tape will allow us to take the battery pack in and out change batteries when needed. But it will also keep it from flying around.



Next, I needed something to go in the horizontal plane to keep the battery pack from sliding from side to side. So I placed a piece of foam in the gap to kind of wedge it into place. I also bought very small 3m clips for us to wire the fairy lights around. I placed them in a variety of directions so that I could weave the lights around the fist and better maintain their position into a single place.



Once I had that all done, then it was just a matter of weaving the lights around. I left a small slack in the lights after finishing the bottom of the fist, and then weaved the lights into the upper portion of the hand as well. This enabled me to be able to open and close the fist easily when needed by just setting the top/bottom side by side. With that being completed, it was time to look at the finish product. Since I finished late last night, most of the pictures are of me in the mirror in the completely dark basement. No photoshopping and just the dark mode iPhone pics. I will say the dark mode amplifies the appearance of the fist. It's bright in person, but I don't think it's as bright as the pics make it appear.









The imperfections of the fist actually allow some light to shine through in patterns. You can see that captured below. Almost like the hardlight the Ms Marvel MCU fist gives off.



My favorite of the photos was the below.



So that about wraps it up. I'll do some final tweaks to the bracelet and fist combo, and then have G take some pics with it. Next, we need to move on to G's costume and installing the electroluminescent (EL) wire.

Next post - The costume lighting

 

[DopeyBadger]

7 Weeks to go - Canova Specific Phase - Week 3/10




9/19/22-9/25/22
Tues (9/20): 6.5 miles @ 60-70% M Tempo (9:33 min/mile, 124 bpm)
Wed (9/21): 11.1 miles @ 85% M Tempo with Strides (8:04 min/mile, 131 bpm)
Thurs (9/22): Canova Specific Intensive Endurance on Jack/Jill
Fri (9/23): 6.5 miles @ 60-70% M Tempo (9:43 min/mile, 125 bpm)
Sat (9/24): 11 miles @ 85% M Tempo w/ strides (8:01 min/mile, 131 bpm) + LIIFT4-Chest/Tri
Sun (9/25): 11 miles @ 87.5% M Tempo w/ strides (7:54 min/mile, 133 bpm)+ LIIFT4-Back/Biceps

Total Run Miles - 57.5 miles
Total Run Time - 8:01 hours
Total Strength Time - 0:50 hours
Total Training Time - 8:52 hours


Monday

Rare Monday update. Gigi had been fighting a small cough for a few days. I had done my best to avoid her when possible. Woke up on Monday and was fine, but by the time I got to work I had this small feeling of a sinus buildup in my cheek. I just kept telling my mind/body to be quiet and stop making things up. It's that time of the training plan.



Tuesday

Conditions - Humid, Wind 8mph to 16mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 81°F + 75°F; FL - 87°F
End: Temp+Dew = 79°F + 74°F; FL - 87°F

Still had that feeling of a sinus issue. Didn't really play any role during the run though. All of the snot was still clear/white. I don't think there was anything remarkable about the run itself. Goodbye summer!




Wednesday

Conditions - Mostly Cloudy, Wind 12mph to 21mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 65°F + 56°F; FL - 65°F
End: Temp+Dew = 64°F + 56°F; FL - 65°F

Still had that feeling of a sinus issue. However at some point in the run I had a really deep snot rocket and suddenly everything felt cleared up. So it's almost like some junk got stuffed up and then everything got cleared out. The sinus wasn't an issue for the remainder of the week. The 8:04 pace felt easy and the strides felt good.



Thursday

Conditions - Clear, Wind 6mph to 8mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 59°F + 48°F; FL - 59°F
End: Temp+Dew = 55°F + 47°F; FL - 59°F

Canova Specific Intensive Endurance on Jack/Jill. I've seen this referred to as an over/under in other places. Essentially instead of running a certain steady pace, you instead run just above and below it in intervals. Although I haven't seen such a long sustained over/under like this one. So I was curious to see how it would play out. I knew the pacing on this one would be a little tough. My Jack/Jill route has memorized mile splits, but this workout is in km so that was going to throw things off. I did not take the day off from work because I had a project going on that was immoveable.

6 sets of (1km @ 97% M Tempo + 1km @ 103% M Tempo)

97% M Tempo Goal Pace = 7:15 min/mile
103% M Tempo Goal Pace = 6:50 min/mile

No T+D adjustments allowed in Specific Phase. T+D effect only 2 sec/mile



You don't really get a sense of over/under from the above splits, and that's because most of the time I was running either uphill or downhill. So when you take the grade adjustments into account, then it looks more like an over/under.



97% M Tempo Actual Pace = 7:18 min/mile
97% M Tempo Grade Adj Pace = 7:13 min/mile

103% M Tempo Actual Pace = 6:55 min/mile
103% M Tempo Grade Adjusted Pace = 6:50 min/mile

Average pace for the Intensive section = 7:04 min/mile
Grade Adj pace = 6:59 min/mile



The 97% GAP splits were 7:11, 7:05, 7:07, 7:20, 7:07, and 7:15.
The 103% GAP splits were 6:52, 6:52, 6:49, 6:48, 6:57, and 6:44.

This was a good run. The legs are starting to feel right. This was probably one of the first runs where the endurance legs felt like they answered the call. When I wanted to go 6:50s, my legs responded with a quick light strong pace. When I backed off to 7:15s it was a little harder to find the pace. Because it's slower, but it's still not slow. Overall I'm happy with how the run went and feel like I'm getting closer to being in the right place.

The one downside of the run. The place where I had the suspected stress fracture in 2016 on my left leg was a little achey at times on my right leg during the run. At times a sharp pain, and at other times absolutely nothing. There's a little excess bone growth there that I can feel when I rub my hand along the inside of my right shin (I actually have it in the exact same place on the left shin as well). I feel like this was probably because of the aggressive downhill pace on the cambered road. At times I was carrying 6:10 pace down the hill and historically I don't think my body has appreciated that in training. Looking back through the training journal I see notes of similar feelings in Nov 2021 (during Madison M and first run back after Madison M and took a week of running and about 2 weeks since onset to feel good again), November 2019 (came after a massive training week, pain didn't last much beyond the single day), October 2018 (during Chicago M), January 2018 (during Dopey M), and I seem to remember a 3 x 2 mile HM Tempo downhill that I did that aggravated it as well but nothing is coming up. Interestingly I found a note from October 2016 after the left leg bone injury that I felt the right leg bone and there was no injury (smooth bone) on that side. Well now I've definitely got the same distortion on both bones. We'll see how this goes, but I'm going to keep running on it because history tells me I'll probably be ok. It's not likely a stress fracture, but rather the bone distortion is just uncomfortable.


Friday

Conditions - Overcast, Wind 8mph to 14mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 57°F + 51°F; FL - 57°F
End: Temp+Dew = 56°F + 51°F; FL - 57°F

The right shin was noticeable, but not really a sharp pain. Just kind of there. Other that than, I actually felt decent. Not like I had been hit by a vehicle like I've felt with some of the recent day after hard run runs.



Saturday

Conditions - Overcast, Wind 8mph to 16mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 51°F + 50°F; FL - 51°F
End: Temp+Dew = 54°F + 51°F; FL - 51°F

The right shin was noticeable, but not really a sharp pain. Other than that, the run felt pretty good. The legs felt good and snappy. The 8:01 pace was very comfortable and never challenging. Nice to almost hit the sub-100 T+D level.



Sunday

Conditions - Mostly Cloudy, Wind 11mph to 22mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 57°F + 56°F; FL - 57°F
End: Temp+Dew = 58°F + 55°F; FL - 57°F

The right shin was noticeable, but not really a sharp pain. The run felt good again. A mostly low effort affair and never really all that challenging. The pace felt comfortable around 7:55-ish so that's where I stuck around. Saving energy for next week's massive two workouts.

With that being said, we wrap up Week 23 of the plan and head into the home stretch. Next week is the peak of the plan in terms of difficulty. The Tuesday workout is a massive broken M Tempo progression, but the RI is done at 85% M Tempo and is still fairly challenging.

1 mile WU + (21 min at 7:11 + 18 min at 7:07 + 15 min at 7:02 + 12 min at 6:58 + 9 min at 6:54 + 6 min at 6:50) w/ 1 km 8:05 between

I'm doing my best to have off work for this one. Then a ton of 6.5 mile runs and one 11 mile run in preparation for Sunday. On Sunday is the peak Canova workout, the Canova 120. It is 120 minutes at M Tempo + 10 seconds. So for me that represents 17 miles at 7:11 pace. I came in at 1:54:59 at 15.9 miles in the 2021 Madison M. So that's 7:14 pace. My Lakefront 2017 (M PR) HM split was 1:33:32 (7:08 pace). So if I pull off the 17 miles at 7:11 pace it'll be close to a previous race effort level. That's why Canova puts that specifically at 40-42 days before race day. A total of 8.5 hrs and 63 miles.

 

[HangWithMerida]

Glad you didn’t catch whatever G had. Every time my kid gets sick I feel little hints of illness for a couple days as I work to convince myself it’s just in my head.

 

[DopeyBadger]

Glad you didn’t catch whatever G had. Every time my kid gets sick I feel little hints of illness for a couple days as I work to convince myself it’s just in my head.

Totally the same.

 

[dis_or_dat]

Looking good! Hopefully your shin holds out.

 

[DopeyBadger]

Looking good! Hopefully your shin holds out.

So far so good. Ran 15.1 miles at 7:31 average pace and had minimal issues.

 

[striker1064]

So far so good. Ran 15.1 miles at 7:31 average pace and had minimal issues.

Pffffft.

"I did 15 miles at 7:30, NBD."

But also, glad it's better!

 

[DopeyBadger]

6 Weeks to go - Canova Specific Phase - Week 4/10




9/26/22-10/2/22
Tues (9/27): Canova Broken M Tempo Progression
Wed (9/28): 6.5 miles @ 60-70% M Tempo (9:21 min/mile, 124 bpm)
Thurs (9/29): 11 miles @ 85% M Tempo w/ strides (8:01 min/mile, 134 bpm)
Fri (9/30): 6.5 miles @ 60-70% M Tempo (9:21 min/mile, 126 bpm)
Sat (10/1): 6.5 miles @ 60-70% M Tempo (9:19 min/mile, 119 bpm) + LIIFT4-Chest/Tri
Sun (10/2): The Canova 120 on Jack/Jill

Total Run Miles - 62.3 miles
Total Run Time - 8:25 hours
Total Strength Time - 0:32 hours
Total Training Time - 8:58 hours


Tuesday

Conditions - Clear, Wind 9mph to 19mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 40°F + 34°F; FL - 34°F
End: Temp+Dew = 45°F + 37°F; FL - 34°F

1 mile WU + (21 min at 98% M Tempo + 18 min at 99% M Tempo + 15 min at 100% M Tempo + 12 min at 101% M Tempo + 9 min at 102% M Tempo + 4.5 min at 103% M Tempo) w/ 1 km 85% M Tempo floating rest between intervals

98% M Tempo Goal Pace = 7:11 min/mile
99% M Tempo Goal Pace = 7:07 min/mile
100% M Tempo Goal Pace = 7:02 min/mile
101% M Tempo Goal Pace = 6:58 min/mile
102% M Tempo Goal Pace = 6:54 min/mile
103% M Tempo Goal Pace = 6:50 min/mile

85% M Tempo Goal Pace = 8:05 min/mile

No T+D adjustment because Specific phase, but also because we're sub-100!







Actual Pace = 7:19, 7:13, 7:08, 7:18, 6:57, 7:23
Grade Adj Pace = 7:11, 7:07, 7:10, 7:06, 6:55, 7:02

Floats Actual Pace = 7:53, 8:04, 8:03, 8:05, 8:20
Floats Grad Adj Pace = 8:08, 8:04, 8:01, 8:25, 8:12

Took the day off from work to get ideal running conditions. First sub-100 of the training cycle. Overall a good run. Legs didn't have the same snappiness as last week Thursday, but they responded admirably. I might have been a touch conservative on the downhills. But ultimately the right shin issue from last week was mostly a non-issue. I could feel it here and there, but still better than even the easy/moderate days last week.



Wednesday

Conditions - Clear, Wind 6mph to 7mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 53°F + 40°F; FL - 53°F
End: Temp+Dew = 49°F + 40°F; FL - 53°F

Body felt decent. Helps to have a morning Tuesday run and an evening Wednesday run. The right shin was there, but almost a non-issue. Definitely trending in the right direction.



Thursday

Conditions - Partly Cloudy, Wind 4mph to 6mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 57°F + 45°F; FL - 57°F
End: Temp+Dew = 53°F + 44°F; FL - 57°F

This was a bit of a grind. Body didn't want to seem to do the desired pace at the desired effort level. Not totally off, but I could tell my body still had some residual effects from Tuesday's hard effort. With that being said, I was able to lock it down. From memory, I didn't really have any issues with the right shin on this one. So for now, that seems to be behind me. At this point, I don't believe I have any lingering issues I'm working through.







Friday

Conditions - Clear, Wind 5mph to 6mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 63°F + 49°F; FL - 63°F
End: Temp+Dew = 60°F + 50°F; FL - 63°F

Body felt alright. Still don't feel 100% in terms of fitness, but injury wise nothing to track. Trying to get my mind in a good place in anticipation for Sunday's really hard effort. I had to drive back to pick Steph up. So that made the window tight on getting everything in, and then we ate Culver's (fast food) for dinner.




Saturday

Conditions - Partly Cloudy, Wind 3mph to 5mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 41°F + 41°F; FL - 39°F
End: Temp+Dew = 45°F + 45°F; FL - 39°F

Run felt decent. Legs feeling better. No injury issues. Nice cold and chilly morning. Too bad the weather was trending up a little for Sunday's run.

Had a reasonably busy day as I was shuttling G around to Acting class, and then we were volunteering at the theater's halloween fundraiser at the Lake. G dressed up as Hermione from Harry Potter (all the theater cast dressed as different Potter characters), and I dressed up as an older Harry Potter trying to live out his glory days by fitting in his old game worn quidditch jersey (in reality it was Steph's shirt as I don't have any Potter attire). G had a great time hanging out with some other cast members, so it was worth it. She worked the Haunted walk, and the Hogwarts students were casting spells on the spooky spiders. Given the effort that was coming on Sunday, this wasn't an ideal pre-training run day. I was on my feet quite a bit in the sun (70s). We got done late, and then Steph wasn't home yet so G and I stopped at Culver's again to get something quick. So not ideal activity wise or nutrition wise for a day before a really hard effort. But life isn't always ideal.




Sunday

Conditions - Partly Cloudy, Wind 5mph to 9mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 48°F + 48°F; FL - 46°F
End: Temp+Dew = 53°F + 52°F; FL - 46°F

The peak workout of the Canova Marathon Training plan. According to Canova, he would like it to occur roughly 6 weeks (40-42 days) before the goal marathon. The goal is 120 min at 97-98% M Tempo.

97-98% M Tempo Goal Pace = 7:11-7:15 min/mile

No T+D adjustment in Specific phase. T+D effect would have been 2 sec/mile.







Actual Pace = 7:14 min/mile
Grade Adj Pace = 7:10 min/mile

5 mile laps = 36:16 (7:15), 36:04 (7:13), 36:04 (7:13)

Mentally I broke the run into portions. I can do 5 mile loops, and I did two loops (10 miles) at 7:11 pace (when aiming for 7:02) a few weeks ago. So I felt like I could at least make it to ten miles before having to tap out. This is another "no fade" run from Canova. So you maintain the goal pace, or the workout is over prematurely. Not allowed to tough it out into a fade.

I did a short WU (3 min) as a separate activity. Then I felt focused and locked in. I started off at what I thought was a good pace, but the first 0.5 mile uphill was too slow (aiming for something like 7:30 GPS pace and came in at 7:57). So at that point I knew I was going to need to really dig in, or this was going to be a long day. Thankfully the legs responded and from there things started to settle in. The goal was to be a little conservative on the downhills (suppose to aim for -15 and I aimed for -10) and a little aggressive on the uphills (suppose to aim for +25 and +10, and aimed for +15 and +5). I typically feel stronger on the uphills (relative speaking) anyways. But I didn't want to aggravate the right shin (mission accomplished).

I forgot to look at my watch after the first 5 mile split, but a few moments later so I was around the right place (thought something like 35:50-36:15 was the right place to be. I was still feeling alright, so I attacked the second 5 mile loop. I was holding on throughout and hitting my marks. Maybe a tad ahead on some of the uphills and felt a little gassed as I was cresting the 82ft hill, but the downhill helped. Finished the second 5 mile loop and was just saying to myself, "One more. You can make it to 15 miles. Keep going."

Legs were feeling it in the third lap, but I was holding strong. Each time I thought, "yea the pace is slipping now" the legs kept responding on holding on to goal pace. I was fighting myself through the end of the third lap. I was expecting to see a little slip in pace. If I came in over 1:49:00, then I decided I would pull the plug. So when I came in at 1:48:24, then I knew I was going to attack the final 11.5 min of running. That third lap came in at 36:04 which was equal to the second lap.

The final 11.5 min were a bit of a drag and my body was fighting me. I kept bargaining. Alright, just make it up the hill to the 15.5 mile mark. Alright, you made it there and you're still on target. Just make it down half the hill, and then you can turn for the 16.0 mile finish. Got to that point and things were still going alright, so I said, "alright, just make it to the bottom of the hill and turn around to finish around 2 hrs." You've got this. This is the final stretch. A final finish uphill just like the Madison M. Dig, dig, dig and finish this up. Huzzah! It's over.

The body responded well and ended without any injury issues. Given the pace, I call that a major victory. The goal was 7:11-7:15 pace and I came in at 7:14 pace. HM came in around 1:34:30 which would rank as 4th fastest out of 20 official HMs. The 16.5 mile split is probably close to one of the fastest ever. Now a few hours later, the body still feels pretty good. Didn't feel like a race level effort. The HR (145) was close to top end converted marathon HR. So given the T+D adjustment, something around 7:10-7:13 is starting to feel like a good place for me. We'll see how the final weeks play out. So all in all a good training run, and I look forward to the remaining six weeks of training.

So that wraps up what was the peak of the Canova training plan in terms of intensity, and close to peak volume as well. Having Tuesday's run of nearly 2 hrs at 7:31 pace is tough, but compound that with a Sunday run of 2 hours at 7:15 pace (8 sec/mile faster than current marathon PR pace) is another level of tough. So happy to come out of this completing the runs, and feeling decent too. Now it's time to sharpen the sword and put in the work for the last six weeks. Next week is relatively easy, with only a 14.5 miler at 7:23 (95% M Tempo) on Friday (which itself is not "easy").

 

[DopeyBadger]

Ms. Marvel - The costume lighting
-Initial Design and Working on the Bracelet
-Fun with magnets
-Bengal Painting
-Making the Top of the Fist
-Finishing the foam fist construction and painting (part 1)!
-Painting (part 2)!
-Finishing the inside and installing the lights!

Alright, we are coming towards the end of the project. We've completed the bracelet (well not quite yet after a test run) and the Ms Marvel MCU fist. Now we needed to start working on the costume itself. A relatively simple and straightforward process compared to the bracelet and fist. The goal was to take a standard Ms Marvel costume, and add some lighting effects to it.

I bought this costume from Amazon (link). Additionally, I ended up going with some electroluminescent wire (also known as EL wire) from Adafruit (link). I got the "starter pack" because it includes the wire, the pocket EL inverter, and a few additional things if you end up cutting the wire (which for ease of use I was aiming to avoid). The wire ended up being less stiff than I was anticipating. I was anticipating something that would somewhat hold it's shape when bent. However, this is more like weed wacker wire. Sort of has a shape, but also flimsy. So it ended up being easier to work with for the Ms Marvel costume, and I needed to go back to the drawing board for my own costume.

The original idea was to attach the wire to the outside of the costume. I believed this would make it the brightest (since it didn't have to go through the shirt material). So to test this, I just taped the wire down to the costume.



And then had G try it on for a test run.



We liked the look of it, but after going back and forth we wondered whether it would look better on the inside. So that evening we had a little photoshoot. I decided we should include the bracelet and fist as well to get almost the full picture as to what it will look like. What we learned is that the bracelet and fist play well with each other when they're stationary and not in use. But once G tried to put them on together, the bracelet's own magnets weren't holding up. So we've got a little work to do there (I think we'll use velcro). First, we wanted to do some pictures with the wire on the outside of the costume.





What I've noticed prior is that the iPhone's dark picture mode accentuates the lighted aspects of her costume. So it's not what it actually looks like in person. It's too "enhanced". So to get an idea of what it actually looked like in real life, we also did some video, and then I took a still picture from the video.



So that's more what it looks like in-person. We liked the look and brightness of the wire on the outside, but the wire itself was very noticeable, and we felt like it was taking away from the Ms Marvel costume itself. Kind of like lights with a costume, instead of a costume with lights.

We moved back inside, untaped the wire, turned the costume inside/out, and then re-taped on the inside. Headed back outside and retook some photos.









And finally a still from a video.



We unanimously agreed that the wire looks better on the inside. It gives the costume a halo-y effect. Where it looks like she's glowing from the inside, rather than a wire sitting on the outside. I was originally worried that the brightness level would be toned down too much by having the wire on the inside, but ultimately the difference was small enough not to matter.

So now my MIL is going to sew the EL wire to the inside of the costume, and then we've just got to get the bracelet cleaned up a bit for real-life use. Otherwise, this Ms Marvel project is just about wrapped up. Which is good, because that leaves me about three weeks time to finish my own costume now.

 

[The Expert]

WOW this looks incredible! I'm so impressed at how real that fist looks in the dark. SUCH a great costume!

 

[DopeyBadger]

WOW this looks incredible! I'm so impressed at how real that fist looks in the dark. SUCH a great costume!

Thanks! We're pretty happy with how it turned out.

 

[GollyGadget]

Add me to the list of people impressed with your costumes!

 

[lookingforsunshine]

Me too!!! Looks so awesome!

 

[DopeyBadger]

Add me to the list of people impressed with your costumes!

Me too!!! Looks so awesome!

Thanks!

 

[DopeyBadger]

5 Weeks to go - Canova Specific Phase - Week 5/10





10/3/22-10/9/22
Tues (10/4): 6.5 miles @ 60-70% M Tempo (9:26 min/mile, 122 bpm)
Wed (10/5): 11 miles @ 85% M Tempo (8:05 min/mile, 134 bpm)
Thurs (10/6): 6.5 miles @ 60-70% M Tempo (9:08 min/mile, 128 bpm)
Fri (10/7): 14.5 miles @ 95% M Tempo on Jack/Jill (7:23 min/mile, 139 bpm)
Sat (10/8): 6.5 miles @ 60-70% M Tempo (9:26 min/mile, 118 bpm) + LIIFT4-Chest/Back
Sun (10/9): 11 miles @ 87.5% M Tempo (7:55 min/mile, 132 bpm)

Total Run Miles - 55.9 miles
Total Run Time - 7:44 hours
Total Strength Time - 0:31 hours
Total Training Time - 8:15 hours


Tuesday

Conditions - Clear, Wind 5mph to 8mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 65°F + 49°F; FL - 65°F
End: Temp+Dew = 62°F + 49°F; FL - 65°F

I was very pleased with how quickly my body had recovered from the Sunday Canova 120 (hardest run of the cycle). By Monday afternoon, I was feeling almost completely normal. Despite it would have been a 3rd fastest HM (1:34:00 for 13.11) and continuing that pace for 16.6 miles, my body didn't feel all that bad. By the run on Tuesday, I felt mostly normal. I took it nice and easy. I set this week up as a down week coming off Sunday's hard effort.




Wednesday

Conditions - Mostly Cloudy, Wind 6mph to 11mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 67°F + 50°F; FL - 67°F
End: Temp+Dew = 62°F + 49°F; FL - 67°F

The run felt fine overall. Had to fight for the pace a little bit at the start. I don't think my body was ready for a moderate effort just quite yet. But eventually things settled in. HR was a little higher than some of my other recent moderate efforts, but then adjusted for T+D it still put the effort towards the top end of what I've accomplished. Gotta be careful falling into a trap thinking every run should be record setting. There will be ebbs and flows.




Thursday

Conditions - Partly Cloudy, Wind 15mph to 25mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 56°F + 45°F; FL - 56°F
End: Temp+Dew = 54°F + 42°F; FL - 56°F

Effort was good. Was holding back because of Friday morning's upcoming hard effort. Probably ended up a little faster than expected, and HR was a touch higher than I'd like to see. But all in all, it was good.




Friday

Conditions - Clear, Wind 9mph to 22mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 37°F + 32°F; FL - 30°F
End: Temp+Dew = 41°F + 34°F; FL - 30°F

I had the day off from work. This hard effort came with four easy/moderate days since the last hard effort. Unlike Hansons which puts the hard efforts with 1-2 days between, the Canova plan has them a little more spread out. But when you go hard, you go hard. It also requires a flexible life schedule though. Because hard days can end up on any day of the week. This was slightly slower and shorter than the Canova 120 done on Sunday. But with that, it was still a pretty good hard effort.

95% M Tempo Goal Pace = 7:23 min/mile
No T+D adjustment since under 100 and Specific Phase







Actual Pace = 7:23 min/mile
Grade Adj Pace = 7:19 min/mile

This is current marathon PR pace. Overall the run went well. I was doing mental math after each 5 mile loop and knew I was close to being on pace. There were times where it felt like a breeze and I had to pull back not to let this drift to fast, and then at other times I was fighting a bit more to stay on pace. Had a bit of a northerly wind that happened to coincide with the majority of the steeper part of the uphill. So that added an extra dimension. But like prior weeks, I feel stronger on the uphill than I do on the downhill.

5 mile loops = 36:58 (7:24), 37:03 (7:25), pace 7:22 for last 4.5 mi

Ultimately, the movement in pace was pretty minimal. Did laps at 7:24, 7:25, and 7:22 which shows good pace control on the undulating hills. The known grade adjustments to pace are helping me keep on track. Pleased with the run overall. The HR average was 139 bpm which puts it in line with 13 miler on 9/14/22. So holding steady, but starting to feel stronger on the endurance side.



Saturday

Conditions - Clear, Wind 7mph to 13mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 33°F + 30°F; FL - 27°F
End: Temp+Dew = 39°F + 33°F; FL - 27°F

Played video games with G on Friday, and I think I held my achilles in an awkward position on the foot rest. So the right achilles was a bit stiff for this run. The left groin was also giving me some issues. Neither were a huge deal, but both were present. Didn't feel terrible otherwise, which is always a nice sign coming off a pretty hard effort the day prior.




Sunday

Conditions - Clear, Wind 7mph to 12mph
Start: Temp+Dew = 37°F + 33°F; FL - 32°F
End: Temp+Dew = 41°F + 36°F; FL - 32°F

Groin and achilles were both still noticeable during this run. I decided I would take it as it came to me today. I've got a pretty good effort coming on Tuesday. So I just went with what felt right today. I was willing to stop anywhere between 60-90 minutes, and pace wise was fine with anything slower than about 7:55 pace. Other than the groin/achilles, the body felt better than expected. I was able to hold a decent pace for most of the run and at times was pulling back to keep this from being too much of a hard effort. Ended up averaging 7:55 pace with a nice and low 132 bpm HR average.

The HRvPace relationship has hit a new high. Previously the three weeks prior to 8/29/22 had represented the peak (and was not surpassed since then). But the last three weeks of training has pushed the fitness level to a new touch higher.



Based on prior marathon HR experiences, it makes the following projections based on a 26.37 mile course:





The HR data has a tendency to fall a bit during the taper period, so I venture to guess the final windows will end up a touch higher than these. But all in all my cardio is in a good place, and I'm feeling better about my endurance as well. Still got 5 weeks to complete the training and get to race day. Only 6 hard runs left in the training plan, with two coming next week. Next week Tuesday is the Canova Specific Extensive Endurance workout (4 sets of 2.5 miles at 100% M Tempo + 1km at 90% M Tempo), a couple of easy/moderate days, and then Sunday is my second attempt at the Canova Specific Marathon Block (double day of 35 min LR + 35 min M Tempo). It's also a decent volume week as well (8.5 hrs and 63 miles).

 

[Herding_Cats]

I’m always so impressed by your dedication to your training plans. Seriously. Kids, work, maintaining your relationships with other people in your life take work and here you are crushing a 30wk training plan.

Is the goal for the marathon to PR or BQ (or would a PR accomplish both) or to just make it there healthy and see what you’ve got?

 

[DopeyBadger]

I’m always so impressed by your dedication to your training plans. Seriously. Kids, work, maintaining your relationships with other people in your life take work and here you are crushing a 30wk training plan.

Thanks! I think relatively speaking, my life is fairly easy and conducive to being able to be consistent. My job is typically low stress (I don't usually have to worry about work when I'm not at work). I only have one child (who is 8) which limits other commitments, and things compound with multiples. My wife is supportive of my hobby because we both know I'm a better person for it. I don't have any local friends so I don't usually have any competing commitments. Only the occasional family things to juggle around. So at this point, running fits well into my lifestyle. Then it just becomes something I get to do rather than ever something I have to do. I appreciate the opportunity because there are no guarantees. I very rarely, if ever, miss a running day in a training plan.

Is the goal for the marathon to PR or BQ (or would a PR accomplish both) or to just make it there healthy and see what you’ve got?

Current PR is 3:14:05 from five years ago. BQ is 3:05:00. At this point, I don't set goals. Especially this early before race day. Weather plays too much of a factor, and I don't want to become emotionally committed to something when the conditions don't warrant an attempt. But even on race day, there are just so many factors that can influence performance. One of those being that you just don't know how you'll feel. So I'll have a range in mind (2:58-3:15 based on the current above projections on what I've done before in terms of ceiling/floor conversions), I'll have my GAP adjustments for hilly miles, and then I'll just see what my body wants to do. I did the same for last year, and was quite happy with how the race played out. If I get too committed to a set pace/goal, then it can mess with me mentally. Before I would just race blind to remove pace splits as an influence on my mental status. But I've grown since then to be better at just going with the flow. It's easier when you've done this 16 previous times and know what it should feel like. I'm just there to celebrate the training, accept it will be difficult, and embrace the victory lap.

ETA - One thing I'll add. I was at this fitness level only once before in my ten years. I thought it would be easy to get back to this same place. So I didn't truly cherish the moment. I won't make the same mistake again. I know what it's taken to get back here, and I'll appreciate this opportunity for another chance to race at this level.

 

[lookingforsunshine]

My job is typically low stress (I don't usually have to worry about work when I'm not at work).

I love my job, but this is not my life and sometimes I’m jealous of people for whom it is (like my DH). For example, it’s 4 am right now— the second night in a row where I’ve randomly woken up in the middle of the night for no reason— and I feel guilt for not grading lol.

Then it just becomes something I get to do rather than ever something I have to do. I appreciate the opportunity because there are no guarantees. I very rarely, if ever, miss a running day in a training plan.

Your attitude has inspired me so much! I am sure there is a lot going on psychologically with me personally that contributes to why I have historically been a person who doesn’t train (like this dumb fear that if I put in all the work and failed anyway that I would be so disappointed), but your journal/story has helped me self-reflect on the “stories” I tell myself and I can feel a little shift or click in my brain that is making me into a different athlete— hopefully one who enjoys the training for what it is and then uses race day as a celebration. I have been reading your old journal entries occasionally (hopefully that’s not weird) and have found them so tremendously helpful.

Current PR is 3:14:05 from five years ago. BQ is 3:05:00.

This is wild to me! My HALF pr is 2:59:xx. Lol. You are so fast!!! Cheetah status.

 

[DopeyBadger]

I love my job, but this is not my life and sometimes I’m jealous of people for whom it is (like my DH). For example, it’s 4 am right now— the second night in a row where I’ve randomly woken up in the middle of the night for no reason— and I feel guilt for not grading lol.

And depending on life goals, maybe that will or won't change for you in the future. Ultimately, all our lives are a choose your own adventure. We're all just balancing our desires across multiple different areas. I could possibly get a more lucrative job. I had a former co-worker that I have a lot of respect for that left, and then tried to get me to join her at the new place. Ultimately I didn't, because I saw the amount of time the new job was sucking up her life and how she had less and less time to run. So the money wasn't worth the life cost to me. She ended up making the same decision after about a year and found something else better for her.

Your attitude has inspired me so much! I am sure there is a lot going on psychologically with me personally that contributes to why I have historically been a person who doesn’t train (like this dumb fear that if I put in all the work and failed anyway that I would be so disappointed), but your journal/story has helped me self-reflect on the “stories” I tell myself and I can feel a little shift or click in my brain that is making me into a different athlete— hopefully one who enjoys the training for what it is and then uses race day as a celebration. I have been reading your old journal entries occasionally (hopefully that’s not weird) and have found them so tremendously helpful.

It's important to remember that endurance run training is like 98% of the running we do. I will have done about 1555 miles of training since April for the November Madison Marathon. The race is 26.2 miles. So 98.3% of my running during this period of time is training, and 1.7% is racing. I better learn to appreciate the training, otherwise running isn't going to be a good long term hobby for me.