Up Where They Walk, Up Where They Run: Going the Distance with Disney & My Dissertation (comments welcome!)

[NYC_MW]

Amazing!

 

[striker1064]

Great job on your race!

 

[LosAngelesRunner]

Congrats on the race! Amazing!

 

[azrivest]

Congrats! You have my full admiration for doing all three

 

[lookingforsunshine]

Pitt Drift Trip Report
Friday, May 20: Hagerstown, MD to Brunswick, MD

This day was my favorite day of the trip, even though it was full of surprises.

We woke up early— I don’t remember when— and got ready as usual. Packing up after a build day can be a challenge because it’s like an explosion whenever B&Bers stay somewhere more than one night.

I left with the first group out. We had about 7ish miles of riding on road to get back to where the trail began. The leaders found a different route than what people had taken in, and this one was much safer. There were cars, but it wasn’t too bad. I stayed in the back of the group because I was comfortable with road riding, and another alum lead the way. We made it to the trail easily enough and then chilled for a few minutes to make sure everyone got there safely. Eventually it was back on the Towpath!


(Image description: Selfie with riding friends!)

I don’t necessarily remember the order of everything on this day, but there was a lot of what we called “sussy cheeks” (aka bad stuff). One of the riders I was with got a flat so we stopped and fixed that. Then there was a road detour— a few miles of windy, hilly backcountry roads. Saw some horses! After that we had to hike-a-bike down a steep path to get back to the trail. At some point, I got (another!) flat. I took more care in changing it this time since I was less rushed, and I discovered there was a sharp pointy thing— kind of like the edge of a safety pin had been broken off— in my tire. Removing that solved the problem for the rest of the trip. There was also a lot of damage to the trail in places— some parts were covered in tree debris and we had to walk our bikes over it. This was actually in a really beautiful, smooth part of the trail so it was sad to have to stop riding so many times. After that there was A LOT of mud. It was not rideable. Even though all of these challenges kept coming up, I was having a lot of fun and never felt defeated. I don’t know what controls one’s mindset on a ride, but I was happy to be happy on this day.


(Image description: Me changing my flat tire. Someone told me I shouldn’t be smiling because I had a flat. But I was happy!)


(Image description: Sticks on the path. Why.)


(Image description: Walking my bike through the mud, which this picture does not do justice.)

The last bit of the day was really nice— miles ~22 through 80 (counting up from DC) had been fixed up on the Towpath, so the trail felt a lot more like the GAP and was smooth.


(Image description: Muddy legs at lunch.)

My favorite part of the day was that we would be passing Harper’s Ferry! I only wish we had more time there. We had to cross the bridge to get there. Some people locked up their bikes, but I carried mine over the bridge. On my cross country trip my bike was stolen 3 days from the end— another story for another day. So I wasn’t risking it.
I wanted to go to the ATC (Appalachian Trail Conservancy) Headquarters but time wouldn’t allow. So I went to a shop, got some stickers, day dreamed about the thru hiker life, and then got the best snow cone of my life. It was beautiful and delicious. I thought maybe we’d see some people who were obvious thru-hikers which would have been exciting, but we didn’t. Before I knew it we had to cross back over the bridge in order to get to the host on time.


(Image description: Me holding the most delicious and beautiful blue & green snow cone of my life in front of my bike.)

The next couple of miles were actually part of the Appalachian Trail! So cool. I would love to section hike the AT someday— maybe the Shenandoah section. I have read a lot of thru-hiking memoirs.


(Image description: Me posing with my bike in front of a white blaze, which is a marker used to signify the Appalachian Trail.)

The smooth trail continued to Brunswick, and we arrived at our host which was a church. No showers but lots of baby wipes to make do with. There was a group of elderly people there hosting us, and they were providing dinner. Once again there were no vegan options, but there were some down the street. I opted to wait to go get food until after the hosts left because I didn’t want to be rude. But then we had the longest group meeting ever. Since it was technically our last night all together, we debriefed the trip and all shared our highlights and notes for improvement if they offer the trip again. This was a valuable conversation, but it went until 9 pm and at that point I was starving. And then everything was closed. So I made a PB&J and ate some carrots. I also made a Tailwind recovery drink. Then it was time for bed! Overall, a great day!


(Image description: My watch with my final mileage for the day: 54.6 miles.)

 

[lookingforsunshine]

Today’s workout (completed in reverse order). Proud of myself. 34.82 miles total!

The run felt so hard. The HR info is wrong— it wasn’t working for some reason. I slowed down a lot in the last .6 miles. But I forgive myself because I did it immediately after biking 32 miles.

 

[lookingforsunshine]

I weighed exactly 220 lbs this morning! I expect it to fluctuate up, as I usually am in a 3-lb range, but this is the lowest it has been since early 2020. Yay!

 

[lookingforsunshine]

Some quick updates:

• I’m doing macro coaching over the next two months and am excited about it. More thoughts next weekend, hopefully.
• I did a wild brick workout tonight that was quite fun.
• I got two tattoos a couple of weeks ago and had to take a break from swimming but can start again this week.
• I am very tired. My mental health was blah last week.
• My husband and I are in a beginner’s Pickleball class. We have gone 3x, and it is fun.

(Image description: my brick workout. I did this in reverse. 20 min bike, 10 min run, 15 min bike, 10 min run, 15 min bike, 10 min run.)


(Image description: Tattoo #1. It says miles to go on my outer wrist. This is from the Robert Frost poem: the woods are lovely, dark, and deep / but I have promises to keep / and miles to go before I sleep / and miles to go before I sleep)


(Image description: Tattoo #2. A bike on my inner ankle. Rosie is resting her sweet head on my foot.)

 

[GollyGadget]

I’m doing macro coaching over the next two months and am excited about it. More thoughts next weekend, hopefully.

What is macro coaching? Like food macros?

I did a wild brick workout tonight that was quite fun

I went for a bike ride yesterday after my run and my quads were killing me! It wasn't intentional training but I can now better appreciate the difficulty of a triathlon.

 

[NYC_MW]

love the Robert Frost tattoo

 

[lookingforsunshine]

What is macro coaching? Like food macros?

Yes! I have a nutritionist and she set up a macro plan for me. We will be working together for the next two months. She also does strength training for runners that I’m doing too. I’ll update how the first week went but so far the first two days have felt promising!

but I can now better appreciate the difficulty of a triathlon.

And you realize it’s completely doable and you’re going to sign up for one, right?

love the Robert Frost tattoo

Thank you!!

 

[lookingforsunshine]

Yesterday I channeled my inner @Naomeri & went on an adventure to befriend and feed an animal. This animal was a lot larger than a chipmunk, though…

Meet Donkey!



The background is that I heard about a 30 mile gravel ride about an hour from my house that featured a donkey. A friend and I decided to spend our holiday looking for him.

The first 12 miles were pretty good. I used a feature on my Garmin where I can upload the course and it will give me GPS and turn-by-turn directions. Around mile 5 it randomly shut off, and I don’t know why. I restarted it though and it was fine the rest of the time. There was about one mile where the gravel was very loose.

The next 8 miles were hilly, and the heat was starting to get to me. I didn’t check T&D but I know it was in the 90s. I should have brought salt tablets… will I ever learn?

I cheered up right away at mile 20 because we found Donkey! I was afraid I would miss him, but when he saw us coming he was very vocal and ran right up to the fence. We fed him apples and carrots. He was sooo sweet and absolutely made my day.


(Image description: Me feeding Donkey a carrot.)


(Image description: Just me & my new pal. It’s like an Eeyore character stop!)


(Image description: Donkey loves carrots!)


(Image description: Donkey loves pets!)

Eventually we had to say farewell to Donkey but we hope to see him again soon. The last 10 miles were pretty easy riding minus the bumps but it was sooo hot. I had watermelon waiting for me in the car which kept me going.

Overall, it was a lovely 30 mile ride!

 

[GollyGadget]

That donkey is so stinking cute!

Yes! I have a nutritionist and she set up a macro plan for me. We will be working together for the next two months. She also does strength training for runners that I’m doing too. I’ll update how the first week went but so far the first two days have felt promising!

Cool! I'm sure both of those will pay off. Can't wait to hear about it!

And you realize it’s completely doable and you’re going to sign up for one, right?

Umm... No. I have thought about it before but the open water swim does not appeal to me at all. The water is gross and I don't want to be kicked.

 

[Naomeri]

Your new friend is adorable!!

 

[lookingforsunshine]

I have thought about it before but the open water swim does not appeal to me at all. The water is gross and I don't want to be kicked.

Some triathlons have pool swims! I have done two like that.

 

[lookingforsunshine]

Today is my 32nd birthday. I wanted to run 3.2 miles today but my oldest dog had a seizure this morning (which has never happened before) and that derailed all of my plans for the day. It was very scary and sad. We took him to the vet but there isn’t much we can do right now. I was also supposed to have a zoom call with my favorite author basically right after the seizure happened. I hopped on to ask him if I could reschedule and started bawling. It was very embarrassing but he was kind and it is rescheduled for next week.

I got my first Dottie skirt and did manage to go into the backyard and take some pictures. @Herding_Cats i know you had been looking at them— I got the Rainbow Connection one, and it is more beautiful than I could have imagined. I am planning to wear it for the marathon with my Girls on the Run skirt.

I almost thought about upgrading my challenge to officially be Dopey when it opened back up today bc it has been a little annoying explaining to people that I’m running all 4 races but not officially Dopey. It sold out though so it wasn’t meant to be. I shouldn’t let the FOMO get to me.


(Image description: Me standing outside in a rainbow Epcot-esque skirt holding a 3 and a 2 with my fingers.)


(Image description: Perspective from the back— featuring the big bow on the skirt.)

Here is a reflection on my birthday that I posted on Insta:

best parts of being 31:
Starting my full-time teaching position at a liberal arts university. It is a dream job, and I love it so much. This past year I taught 6 awesome classes to a group of great students who give me hope in this world where hope can be hard to come by.
Re-prioritizing being active & growing in discipline related to my health and fitness. I let this fall to the wayside a lot during my PhD program, but last year I feel like I was able to make a lot of personal growth gains. I got my 200hr YTT certificate, I am re-immersed in the runDisney community, I rode a bike from Pittsburgh to DC with Bike & Build— all great adventures that have brought me a lot of joy.

what I am looking forward to at 32:
GRADUATING WITH MY PHD. I need all the positive energy I can get to finish this dissertation. I am ready to be PHinisheD so I can direct my energy toward new projects.
Continuing to prioritize a healthy lifestyle, working on even more consistency and discipline with training. Finishing my first Olympic distance triathlon and marathon. Improving my nutrition so that I nourish my body and am energized. Eating lots of plants.
&, of course, time with my loved ones: my family, my dogs, my friends.

 

[Naomeri]

That skirt is too pretty!!

 

[azrivest]

It’s like an Eeyore character stop!

 

[azrivest]

Gorgeous skirt

And congratulations, those are some awesome life goals!

 

[striker1064]

Happy birthday!