My Journey to 50 miles (2nd attempt)... (comments welcome)

[disneygpa]

Monday and Tuesday update. It hit 107 here today. Pretty sure that's a record. If we had run yesterday afternoon T + D would have been 171!!! Fortunately, we ran early early!!! We don't have AC up here (most don't) and sleeping was nearly impossible last night. I think I finally dozed off around 11:30 after the temps got low enough I could turn the fan on in the window and suck in the still 78-degree air. It was still better than the 90+ it was in the apartment. Whew.... supposed to cool down a bit today. Gonna keep running in the AM for the foreseeable future though.

Monday's run. 3 miles @ EB plus strides. Should have been a little slower on the first mile, but I'm happy with the 2nd mile. The third mile with strides was fun.


Tuesday's run 3 easy Donna miles. Pleasant morning, upper 60's T + D =121. So tried to take it a little easier. We should have even been a little slower than this.


Looks like we'll be getting some sort of announcement from rD tomorrow. I sure hope so. The suspense is killing me!!

 

[shellott-hill]

I can relate to the heat. We are in the same heat wave up here in Alberta. I went out this morning to try and get my run in before it got too hot. T+D was already at 139.6 when I got out the door. I think I will have to head tot he basement tonight to get any relief from the heat.

Nice runs. Stay cool and I hope it is good news for all of us in the morning.

 

[disneygpa]

I can relate to the heat. We are in the same heat wave up here in Alberta. I went out this morning to try and get my run in before it got too hot. T+D was already at 139.6 when I got out the door. I think I will have to head tot he basement tonight to get any relief from the heat.

Nice runs. Stay cool and I hope it is good news for all of us in the morning.

It's cooled down today!!! It's only going to hit 79! Yay!! I really don't mind the heat, in fact, I love it! But when you don't have AC and you can't get away from it, it gets rough. I can't imagine how life was for folks back before AC. They were sure a tougher breed!

Wednesday's run. Up at 2:30 to get this one in before work. With the cool down in the temps, it was a lot easier to get some sleep!! I really, really!!! Like this run! Easily my favorite of this training plan, at least so far. I thought I was all over the board on paces but after looking at the data it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought. No T + D to worry about today, it was down in the 50s when I left.... whew!

The first mile and the first interval are missing from this data. Somehow I screwed up my Garmin and it didn't start the workout when I pressed go. It just started recording my run. So I manually started the first interval thinking it was just a glitch, but when the first interval didn't automatically go to the recovery run I realized something was wrong. Had to stop that and start the workout over again and then skipped past the first mile and first interval. In total, the run was something around 7.85 ish miles.





Super excited to see the races coming back! Super bummed that there isn't any early registration for AP holders. It's literally the only reason we renewed Donna's AP. Oh well, roll the dice with everyone else then!

 

[disneygpa]

Thursdays run. T + D 121. WAY nicer than 140+. Kind of a nice surprise to go outside and find it sort of misting rain. Made for a very pleasant run with the smell of the fresh rain and the temps.

4 ish miles this morning CV run for Donna. She did great! Was definitely feeling the last run interval but she never gave up and enjoyed the cooldown!

Probably have to switch back to running in the afternoon for the foreseeable future. I have to be at work early over the holiday weekend and I don't want to have to get up any earlier than I already do. Shouldn't be too bad though. I think the temps are only supposed to be in the 70s. Normal for this time of year around here.

 

[disneygpa]

Wow.... that was an exhausting weekend. Worked 11 hours all three days. Managed to get Saturday and Sunday runs in after work. Monday's run didn't happen until Tuesday morning. I'll slide everything to the next morning this week and go from there. I just couldn't run after work yesterday. I was up and down kneeling and crawling inside of the substation switches. By the time I got home, I felt like I might just hurt myself if I tried a hard run. I think getting a good night's sleep was the ticket. I felt great this morning and I'm really happy how today's run went!

Saturday's run. Ended up being a little short for distance. It was hot and though we tried to adjust for T+D (I don't remember what it was) Donna complained that the super slow pace was just too slow. She said it was hurting her lower back. I think maybe we should have gone back to run/walk at that point. We ended up calling it a little short. But got most of it in.



Sunday was better it was a 5-mile run/walk. Today was better. I changed the route from Saturday and we ran multiple loops through the local cemetery. It's much cooler there. Trees and gravel instead of the asphalt and beating sunshine. It was still toasty. I think T+D was something near 140. We adjusted and she did much better with the run/walk than the continuous run pace.



Again, Monday's run was pushed to Tuesday morning to allow me some rest!

Tuesday morning. H55BD to me!! I celebrated by waking up 6 min before my 0230 alarm. Got up and stretched. That felt sooooooo good after the rough weekend at work. Out the door by 0300. No T+D corrections this morning. Cool with a layer of fog rolling in. Great morning for a run! I feel like the extra rest was just what was needed today. A little fast on my WU but the other intervals were pretty dang good! I felt good at the end of the run. Had some chocolate milk, jumped in the shower, and headed to work. Hopefully, I get to go back to being a desk jockey this week.

 

[DopeyBadger]

H55BD to me!!

 

[disneygpa]

@DopeyBadger Billy, we had a little change in our travel plans and now we will be traveling to FL together but we won't be leaving until the night of July 16th.
So, I will be her running partner instead of one of the kids for the week of 11th - 17th. I think she'll be fine running Tuesday's 2.5 EA run by herself. But I would like to run Thursday's HM Tempo run with her. I was supposed to do 6 EB miles that day. How do my 6 miles of EB compare to her 4 miles of HM Tempo? Should I run her 4 and then do 2 more at EB or maybe something else?



Thanks for the help!

 

[DopeyBadger]

@DopeyBadger Billy, we had a little change in our travel plans and now we will be traveling to FL together but we won't be leaving until the night of July 16th.
So, I will be her running partner instead of one of the kids for the week of 11th - 17th. I think she'll be fine running Tuesday's 2.5 EA run by herself. But I would like to run Thursday's HM Tempo run with her. I was supposed to do 6 EB miles that day. How do my 6 miles of EB compare to her 4 miles of HM Tempo? Should I run her 4 and then do 2 more at EB or maybe something else?

View attachment 587373

Thanks for the help!

Something seems off. The schedule I have for you is:



Donna:



So your Thursday is 3 miles EA and hers is 4 miles with 3 at HMT. Her HMT is 12 and your EA is 12, so pretty equal. So I think it's an even exchange here except for 4 miles vs 3 miles which I'm not overly concerned about.

 

[disneygpa]

OOPS... I spent all that time making the cute little summary and I put in the wrong week of my runs. Thanks for catching it and giving it a thumbs up!

Can I ask one more question? I believe this is a new run for me. It's M Tempo, then 10 seconds faster, then 20 seconds faster right? And the rests are at WU/CD pace?

M CUT 1 mile WU + 2 mile @ M Tempo w/ 4 min Rest + 1.5 @ M Tempo - 10s w/ 4 min Rest + 1 @ M Tempo - 20s + 1 mile CD

 

[DopeyBadger]

M CUT 1 mile WU + 2 mile @ M Tempo w/ 4 min Rest + 1.5 @ M Tempo - 10s w/ 4 min Rest + 1 @ M Tempo - 20s + 1 mile CD

Correct. A M CUT starts at M Tempo (10:04), then the next segment will be 9:54 and then 9:44. The resting intervals can be done at WU/CD or walking. Nothing is defined there necessarily.

 

[disneygpa]

Correct. A M CUT starts at M Tempo (10:04), then the next segment will be 9:54 and then 9:44. The resting intervals can be done at WU/CD or walking. Nothing is defined there necessarily.

Got it!!! Looks like fun! Thanks!

 

[disneygpa]

So, where to begin. After my birthday last week, things got really really interesting in my life. We only managed to complete runs on Wednesday and Saturday. Both runs were good. No issues. But why did I miss two runs? Well, my schedule got really screwy and I missed Thursday's run. Sunday was a different story....

As I've mentioned before I've been contemplating leaving Boeing after nearly 30 years ever since the kids/grandkids moved to FL.

About 6 weeks ago I applied at Universal. Tuesday on my way home I received a phone call from their HR dept wanting to schedule a phone interview on Wednesday. So that went well and I was recommended for the next phase of phone interviews. Here's where my schedule became dislodged. The phone interview was to be with 5 first-line managers at 0430 east coast time on Thursday. Of course, that means 0130 on my coast. So, I tried to sleep the night before but never really slept. I got up at 0100 and had a cup of coffee. The 5 managers took turns asking me questions and I must have done ok because around 1000 my time I received another phone call from HR asking if I could do an interview with the senior manager for Friday at 0730 my time. Of course, I said yes! Turns out that interview was with 2 different senior managers and it was possibly the easiest of the interviews. I apparently did ok. Because about 1500 my time I received another phone call from HR with a job offer!

I'll be starting the new gig on August 23rd as a ride and show technician on Rip Ride Rockit!

Now I need to get all my retirement paperwork complete for Boeing and get ready to move to FL. Fortunately, with selling the house last spring, the moving part of this is going to be fairly easy! But I have a ton of paperwork to do before my pension benefits can begin and I can leave Boeing.

Oh, and why did we miss Sunday's run? Well, we ended up having an impromptu going-away party with some of Donna's friends. Turns out when she mixes beer, whiskey sours, and red wine over the course of the day, she ends up feeling like death on Sunday morning!! I'll be running this afternoon when I get home and we'll get back on schedule!

@DopeyBadger Billy, with all of the changes coming my way I don't think I'm going to attempt the 37 miler on the first of Sept. I just don't know when and how much training I can get done between now and then. I'm going to do what I have planned this week. But I'm afraid after this week I may need to reevaluate the rest of this plan. I'll email you with details as my schedule becomes a little clearer. I may just finish up Donna's half marathon plan with her and try to run it on August 22nd as originally scheduled. But honestly, we will be on the road for at least 10-14 days and I'm not sure how much running we can get done. Anyway, I'll email you.

 

[DopeyBadger]

Because about 1500 my time I received another phone call from HR with a job offer!

Congratulations!

Billy, with all of the changes coming my way I don't think I'm going to attempt the 37 miler on the first of Sept. I just don't know when and how much training I can get done between now and then. I'm going to do what I have planned this week. But I'm afraid after this week I may need to reevaluate the rest of this plan. I'll email you with details as my schedule becomes a little clearer. I may just finish up Donna's half marathon plan with her and try to run it on August 22nd as originally scheduled. But honestly, we will be on the road for at least 10-14 days and I'm not sure how much running we can get done. Anyway, I'll email you.

I think that makes total sense. Remember the goal is always to work running around your life and not your life around running. So just keep in touch when adjustments need to be made and I'll be here to help figure things out.

 

[shellott-hill]

I'll be starting the new gig on August 23rd as a ride and show technician on Rip Ride Rockit!

OMG! That is amazing. Congratulations. You are living out my dream of retiring, moving to Florida and working at a Theme Park.

 

[disneygpa]

Congratulations!



I think that makes total sense. Remember the goal is always to work running around your life and not your life around running. So just keep in touch when adjustments need to be made and I'll be here to help figure things out.

Thanks Billy! Going to be a lot of changes coming up soon. Not really sure when I'm going to be able to run. Sounds like I'll be working 4-10's and getting off at 0830. Might have to get access to a treadmill. Running in the FL sun in August does not sound appealing.

OMG! That is amazing. Congratulations. You are living out my dream of retiring, moving to Florida and working at a Theme Park.

Thanks!! I'm probably way more excited about this than I should be. But ever since I've started going to the theme parks I've always wanted to work on the rides!

 

[disneygpa]

Back to running updates.

Monday 3 miles at EA. T+D=132
Nothing really stands out about this run other than it's warm here! I know this is nothing compared to some of the rest of the country. Nice and relaxing.

Tuesday 6 miles at EB + Strides. T+D=132
I remember that this run seemed a little tougher than I expected. T+D were the same as the day before, but it just felt hotter.

Wednesday 6.5 miles M Tempo run. T+D=129
It was a few degrees cooler today. But this run felt way better than Tuesday's run. Tried to keep the intervals around 10:16 per my adjustment chart. I think I did pretty well. Not really sure why the effort seemed less. I wouldn't think a couple of degrees would make that big of a difference. No matter the reason, this felt good.



Donna signed up for the Wine and Dine 5k along with my youngest daughter and my 2 oldest grandsons! I really wish I could have committed, but not knowing my upcoming work schedule yet I opted to pass. Bummer. Running the boys' first runDisney race would have been special!!! As of now, there are still open slots for the 5k. Who knows, maybe I can get in after I get my schedule!!

 

[shellott-hill]

As you mention...the 5k is still showing available. You may get lucky and be able to register at a later date.

 

[disneygpa]

Last night was HM Tempo for Donna. She had a little trouble towards the end but did pretty well. I think the trouble was that T+D increased pretty dramatically toward the end of the run. The marine layer burned off and the temps went up 10 degrees while we were out. And of course, we didn't adjust on the fly. Also, it's kinda hard to dial in the HM pace when you only do it for 55 seconds at a time. According to my Garmin, we ran a good chunk of the intervals too fast. According to her Garmin, some of the averages were actually slow. I don't even know what to do about her watch unless we just replace it. It was .13 miles difference in distance from my watch by the end of a 4-mile run. The first mile might have been a little slow because we got "attacked" by a cute little dalmatian puppy that was playing in the schoolyard and came running to greet us. There's really no explanation for the third mile being so slow. According to my Garmin, we were actually cruising along similarly to mile 2.

Anyhoo, it was still a great run and I'm proud of her for pushing herself!!




We leave for FL tonight. Going to spend a week with the kids/grandkids then back to WA for 11 more days and then a road trip to FL!! Still not sure where I'll be running my runs down there. Treadmill (dreadful) or hot/humid early mornings. I'm leaning toward hot/humid early mornings!

It's interesting to hear many of my coworkers, managers, and engineers question what will happen to the prime power crew when I'm gone. I just remind them that we all thought the same thing when the previous team leaders left and we kept chugging along. Sure gonna miss the folks. Not so much the job itself. But some of the people are the best!!

 

[disneygpa]

So, where has Derek been. I've been in FL! It was exactly what I thought it would be. Crazy hot/humid. T+D every morning around 150. We did pretty well on most of our runs until last weekend. The wheels came off last weekend. Everyone in the house got a bug of some sort. Just a little sinus issue for me but some of them had headaches. Seems everyone is mostly back to normal now, but it completely wiped out our long runs. Donna and I just didn't feel up to it. Ugh.... with the move to FL coming up and the new job coming up soon. I'm afraid the half marathon plan we were doing is just going to come crashing down. We won't be in the state for the aforementioned half anyway so we will still try and run something in its place. Our plan is to get out and run when we can until things settle down. Even if we can only do a few easy miles here and there. With packing and visiting friends and family, I just don't see a lot of time left to run.

We are still going to try to get into Dopey tomorrow. So we'll still need to train for that. But I think that will fall into place once I get a work schedule and we know what days of the week we can run.

Anyway, visiting the kids/grandkids was amazing! They are all getting so big and growing up so fast. Moving down there and starting a new gig is definitely the right decision!

I took the oldest grandsons to Cocoa Beach. They had a blast playing in the waves and we finished the day by visiting the Fat Donkey for ice cream!!!
Donna and I hit Wine and Dine on one brutally hot day! Ate and drank WAY TOO much!
Did a lot of apartment hunting and scored one just a mile from the kid's house. It's crazy how fast apartments are going down there right now.

Looks like I have some catching up to do on here!

 

[Jules76126]

Congrats on the new job. Moving is very daunting. My husband and I just moved an hour away and that was a process. I couldn't imagine a cross country move.