You must be swift as the coursing river (as long as it's the Lazy River) - comments welcome

[HangWithMerida]

It was very chilly this morning (42ºF when I left) and I could not figure out what to do with it. I had just been reading about dressing like it's 20º warmer so I had shorts, a t-shirt, and a light jacket, and I was freezing for the first several miles. I hate being cold. Eventually I warmed up a bit, but I never took the jacket off like I expected to. How do I run when it's cold out??

I love the cooler weather and agree that the same temps in fall feel colder than in spring. And for me there seems to be a threshold beneath which it feels cold and the 20 degree rule doesn’t seem to cut it. When the temps first drop here, I end up overdressing a little. For what 42F would feel like here (it’s humid and not usually windy) I would wear leggings and a lightweight long sleeve or short sleeve and arm sleeves unless I was using my hydration pack, in which case I would sub a short sleeve. By the time it gets to 50F I am usually back in shorts or short leggings. The sun matters too. Same temps is the dark require more clothing. I would also second an ear cover. That alone makes me much warmer.

 

[Naomeri]

I get hot easily and also find that wearing gloves at the beginning but being able to take them off works well.

Convertible or flip-top gloves are great for this, they’re fingerless gloves with a mitten cover that can be flipped over the back of the hand and secured. They’re easy to put back on if your hands get cold again later.

 

[avondale]

Convertible or flip-top gloves are great for this, they’re fingerless gloves with a mitten cover that can be flipped over the back of the hand and secured. They’re easy to put back on if your hands get cold again later.

A deep-winter additional trick with flip-top gloves: wear a light pair of true gloves underneath with the flip-top gloves over them. My light gloves have tech tips so I can use the screen on my phone, but they aren't very warm. When it's REALLY cold, I put the flip-top gloves over them, and then I can flip them open to use the tech-tip gloves with my phone.

We rarely get that kind of cold near DC. Usually I deal with this when I'm visiting my family in NW Pennsylvania or my husband's family near Detroit at Christmastime.

 

[WillRunForPizza]

October 10 - 16, 2022
Marathon training week 4 | 84 days until WDW Marathon
In which I am mystified by elite marathon paces

Monday
Planned: 30 min easy + 8 min@SSP (8:40) + 4 min@LTP (8:14) + 2 min@CV (8:04) + 5 min easy
Completed: 30 min easy (9:46) + 8 min@SSP (8:30) + 4 min@LTP (7:58) + 2 min@8:45? + 8:23 easy (9:47)
Total: 53:23, 5.71 miles, 161 bpm

I wouldn't normally have chosen to do a workout the day after a long run, but I had to go to a local conference Tuesday and Wednesday morning for work and I wasn't sure how much time I would have for running. Since I had another workout scheduled for Friday, Monday it was.

It was chilly again but I wore pants this time, so it wasn't so bad. Everything went fine until the last interval I guess? I didn't think I was that far behind the pace, but it also felt quite short, so I might have failed to pause my watch at a light. For some reason Apple Watch won't auto-pause for custom workouts, which is annoying.

Plus: lower body strength training

Since the office was closed I had time for a little bit longer workout.

Tuesday
Rest. Went to the conference which was quite different from my usual sphere. Panicked slightly about going up to random people and talking to them but did it, if not particularly well.

Wednesday
Planned: 35 min easy
Completed: 35:25 easy (9:37)
Total: 3.68 miles, 155 bpm

I didn't have time to do this run in the morning before the conference, so I snuck it in in the afternoon when a meeting ended early. I feel like I took it a little faster than I should have, but I had a hard time slowing myself down. Probably post-conference jitters

Thursday
Planned: 35 min easy
Completed: 35:12 easy (9:43)
Total: 3.62 miles, 152 bpm

This morning run felt a little sluggish at first, which wasn't a huge surprise since I had so little time between runs. But it was fine.

Plus: core

I was excited because I did the side hip raises from my feet instead of from my knees like I usually do. Improvements!

Friday
Planned: 10 min easy + drills and strides + 8 x 45s@VHI (<7:09)/1:45 walk-to-jog + 10 min easy
Completed: 10 min easy (10:04) + drills and 4 strides + 8 x 45s@VHI (<7:09)/1:45 walk-to-jog + 15 min easy (11:16)
Intervals: 6:16, 7:12, 6:26, 6:20, 6:47, 6:14, 6:49, 6:48
Total: 50:15, 5.01 miles, 156 bpm

Okay, so I did overrun these intervals (except for #2 somehow?) But this was so. Hard. People run entire marathons at these paces? Or even faster? Inconceivable!


ID: Inigo and Vizzini from The Princess Bride with a quote: "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."

Before I started the workout, I scoffed a little at the idea of walking the recovery intervals. Ha. I was definitely walking the first third of the break by interval #2. But I survived, mostly - just look how much slower my cooldown was than my warmup.

Plus: upper body strength training

At least it wasn't squats and lunges - that would have hurt. And I bumped up the weight I'm using for a couple of exercises, which was again exciting.

Saturday
Planned: 35 min easy
Completed: 36:43 easy (9:55)
Total: 3.7 miles, 147 bpm

My legs were a little sore after Friday's workout, especially my right quad. Nothing too bad, though. And the weather was nice.

In the afternoon I biked over to REI and spent way too much money on winter running gear. Anyone who tells you running is an inexpensive form of exercise is a liar.

Sunday
Planned: 8 miles easy
Completed: 8.19 miles easy (9:55)
Total: 1:21:12, 157 bpm

I was feeling a little stiff this morning for whatever reason. Every time I had to stop at a light, everything started to tighten up almost immediately. Once I started running again I was fine, but it was a little weird. Also this probably would have gone better if I hadn't left my water on the kitchen counter, which I realized right at mile 2

Totals
Miles: 30.16
Time: 5:49:57

Did I look at my total mileage for the week before my long run so I could avoid being 0.03 miles short of a nice round number again? I can neither confirm nor deny. Of course, then I was 3 seconds short of a round number time-wise, so serves me right. Does it matter? Not in the slightest. Do I care? ..... I can neither confirm nor deny.

Coming up
Next week my new gear will be put to the test, because it will be cold. I may be shifting some things around to avoid the coldest morning - normally I'd just run after work when it's a little warmer, but I'll be at a company retreat so I'll only have the morning available. Plus since we'll be out in the boonies, it will be significantly colder than in the city (30º Thursday morning!). Yay...

 

[WillRunForPizza]

October 17 - 23, 2022
Marathon training week 5 | 77 days until WDW Marathon
In which I am become ice, destroyer of worlds

Monday
Planned: 40 min easy
Completed: 40:05 easy (9:51)
Total: 4.06 miles, 146 bpm

I felt like I was slow at first (not wrong), but things loosened up after the first mile or so. And I was less stiff than Sunday, so that was good.

Tuesday
Planned: 10 min easy + drills and strides + 30 min @ SSP (8:40) + 10 min easy
Completed: 10 min easy (?) + drills and 5 strides + 30:03 @ 8:27 + 10:07 easy (9:43)
Total: 55:19, 6.18 miles

It was cold and I did not like it. Plus I was wearing gloves, which made fine-motor tasks difficult, so instead of starting a new segment when I got to the steady-state part of the run, I accidentally started a new workout. And that's why I don't have the best data on this run. I did eventually take the gloves off, but I still do not enjoy being cold.

Plus: lower body strength training

45s of jump squats + 45s of lateral jumps with lunges + 45s of jumping lunges is mean.

Wednesday
Planned: 50 min easy
Completed: 50:27 easy (9:39)
Total: 5.22 miles, 152 bpm

Too cold. Below 40 is not warm enough for humans. And then I was slightly bitter that people couldn't manage to walk normally, i.e. on the right side of the sidewalk and not in the middle or on the left or just randomly stopping where people are trying to run. Mostly I like living in a city, but sometimes people drive me insane.

Plus: core

Thursday
Rest. I was out in rural Virginia for a company retreat and it was 30º out during the time I had available to run.

Friday
Planned: 30 min easy + 8 min @ LTP (8:14) + 4 min @ CV (8:04) + 2 min @ MAS (7:09) + 5 min easy
Completed: 30 min easy (11:00) + 8 min @ 8:13 + 4 min @ 8:48? + 2 min @ 6:52 + 11:46 easy
Total: 55:46, 5.62 miles

We played trivia Thursday night, which my team lost in an only slightly humiliating fashion, and I didn't get to sleep until about midnight but had to wake up at 6:30 to have time to run. Six-and-a-half hours of sleep, yay! It was above freezing at dawn but only barely, and I was again grumpy about it. At least it was pretty.

ID: Looking out over a field with the sun just peeking over the horizon


ID: Facing the other way with the field in the foreground, trees in the background, and mist coming off of a lake in between

It was cold, hilly, and slippery in places and I didn't know where I was going, so I was slow for the easy portion of my run. I did try to hit the paces for the faster bits, and I learned that pace range alerts and hills are not friends. You're too fast on the downhill and too slow on the uphill and it's just constant reminders of what you're supposed to be doing but not. I'm also not sure what happened with the CV interval; all my other stats indicate that I should have been faster, so...

Saturday
Planned: 40 min easy
Completed: 40:51 easy (10:08)
Total: 4.03 miles, 155 bpm

I got home Friday afternoon and slept for nine-and-a-half hours that night. I was still dogless until the trainer dropped him off later in the morning, so I woke up and went right out for my run. Maybe I was still tired from the retreat, but I felt pretty sluggish, even though the temperature was practically balmy compared to the past couple of days (here having the meaning 45ºF ).

Plus: upper body strength training

I meant to do this Friday but I didn't want to after my run.

Sunday
Planned: 11 miles easy
Completed: 11.23 miles easy (9:55)
Total: 1:51:25

I did not feel like going out to run this morning. At first (meaning for like 3 miles), I was still grumbly and cold. But eventually I warmed up and started to enjoy the scenery. I hadn't been out on the canal towpath for a while, and I forgot how nice it is. It's technically a trail in the sense that it's not paved, but it's very flat and there's plenty of space for the most part. It's also quite lovely right now with the leaves changing and the canal finally filled again.

ID: A paved path on the left, packed gravel in the middle, and water on the right with trees in the background in front of a cloudy sky


ID: The canal on the right with the path on the left. There are trees on either side of the canal/path and a bridge between the trees.

About halfway through the run, I had to pee, which never happens to me. Luckily I found a restroom within a couple of miles, and it even had toilet paper and soap. Yay for public parks! I actually really enjoyed this run once I got out of whatever funk I was in when I started out.

Fuel
Pre-run: raisin bran muffin and a little coffee
35ish min: caramel macchiato GU
65is min and beyond: Honey Stinger chews
Post-run: half-pint pumpkin yogurt smoothie + nuun

Pretty sure I've heard that Honey Stinger chews are on offer during Disney races, so I figured I should give them a try. Based on my memory of the nutrition facts and some mid-run mental math (always a risky proposition), I decided that I should eat one chew every 5 minutes or so. I'm still not sure whether that was right, but I felt fine so I'll take it.

In other news, I hadn't given my dog a bath in like six weeks and it was time. Normally his favorite activity is napping, but after a bath he is briefly possessed by a horde of demons

ID: A slightly blurry Rottweiler mid-turn with a black towel on his back. You can see a couple of teeth and he has the crazy eyes

Totals
Miles: 36.34
Time: 6:41:02

A new high-water mark for mileage! I'm slightly afraid of what my training time will look like for peak weeks though.

Coming up
The Marine Corps Marathon is next Sunday, so I think I'm going to plan my 12-mile long run to go down to about mile 20 and just run back and forth and cheer random strangers on there. (Already claiming that as my excuse if I'm really slow.) I'm also excited that the lows are back in the 50s and not the 30s.

 

[striker1064]

Oh crap, I totally forgot MCM is Sunday. I have a 16-miler, so I should probably make sure I don't plan a route near the course!

 

[HangWithMerida]

That canal towpath is perfect! We don’t have much of that style of running path here. There is a some in a big park in the medical center and I use it when I have to work down there. It has such a nice feel and the crunchy sound as you run on it is meditative.

People run entire marathons at these paces? Or even faster? Inconceivable!

I know, right!?! The fastest elites run an entire marathon in the time I do a HM and I feel like I am WORKING to make that happen. It’s nuts!

 

[DopeyBadger]

I know, right!?! The fastest elites run an entire marathon in the time I do a HM and I feel like I am WORKING to make that happen. It’s nuts!

I'm working towards a marathon time in the Top 2% of all US runners. I can hold a 4:35 min/mile for about 200-400m at near max effort. It is mind blowing how much faster the elites are.

 

[WillRunForPizza]

October 24 - 30, 2022
Marathon training week 6 | 70 days until WDW Marathon
In which I run...next to a marathon

Monday
Planned: 55 min easy
Completed: 57:58 easy (10:17)
Total: 5.63 miles, (157 bpm)

I was a little tired for this one, and running uphill on the way out felt harder than usual. Downhill was nice, though. My watch's HR monitor continues to be glitchy; there's a good portion of this run that it didn't measure.

Plus: core

Tuesday
Planned: 10 min easy + drills and strides + 5 x 4 min@CV (8:04)/2 min easy + 10 min easy
Completed: rest

I woke up Tuesday morning and my stomach was a little upset. I was okay but couldn't eat much, and running didn't seem like the best choice. I decided to make this my rest day and hope I felt better on Wednesday. (I did.)

Wednesday
Planned: 10 min easy + drills and strides + 5 x 4 min@CV (8:04)/2 min easy + 10 min easy (from Tuesday)
Completed: 10 min easy (10:10) + drills and 5 strides + 5 x 4 min@CV/2 min easy + 10:45 easy (11:11)
Interval splits: 7:57, 7:50, 7:53, 7:57, 8:00
Total: 55:44, 5.86 miles, 166 bpm

I remain bad at paces. Because I'd be more disappointed if I were slower than the prescribed pace, I almost always end up running faster (barring technological difficulties). From what I remember, this definitely didn't feel easy, but I didn't feel like I was dying either.

I did figure out how to include my whole CD in the data, even if it goes longer than planned, which is just to set an open goal instead of a time goal.

Also I planned to do lower body strength after my run, but I had a dentist appointment and didn't have time for another workout and a shower, so I postponed it.

Thursday
Planned: 45 min easy
Completed: 45 min easy (10:00)
Total: 4.68 miles, 146 bpm

Usually I look at my watch during a run...a lot...but it was cold and my shirt was covering my wrist, so this was pretty much all effort-based.

Friday
Planned: 10 min easy + drills and strides + 3 min@MAS (7:09)/2 min easy + 2 min@MAS/1:20 easy + 1 min@MAS/40s easy + 45s@MAS/30s easy + 30s@MAS + 10 min easy
Completed: 10 min easy (9:54) + drills and strides + 3 min@MAS/2 min easy + 2 min@MAS/1:20 easy + 1 min@MAS/40s easy + 60s@MAS/15s easy + 30s@MAS + 17:05 easy (9:58)
Interval splits: 6:53, 7:00, 7:15, 7:25, 7:09
Total: 43:49, 4.74 miles, (161 bpm)

This workout was saved from being really hard because it was so short. (If I had timed my turnaround better, it would have been well under 40 minutes.) The pace alerts were helpful at first because I was wearing long sleeves again, but getting into the shorter intervals they didn't really work. I didn't get any alert until the interval was basically over, and then sometimes the pace alert overrode the segment change alert, which is how I ended up near-sprinting through half of the break before the final interval. Technology

Plus: lower body strength

Saturday
Planned: 45 min easy
Completed: 46:08 easy (9:32)
Total: 4.84 miles, 152 bpm

I was a little sore from Friday's sprinting and then lifting, so I was surprised how smoothly this went. It probably helped that I waited until lunchtime rather than running first thing in the morning. (A friend of mine was having a goodbye party at my favorite restaurant, so I both overindulged and did not get enough sleep - even though I got home later than normal, my furry alarm clock still wanted to go out at 5:30. So when we got back I took a nap instead of running.)

Plus: upper body strength

Sunday
Planned: 12 miles easy
Completed: 12.11 miles easy (9:39)
Total: 1:58:56, 153 bpm

It's marathon day here in DC, so I took my run down to the Mall to see the festivities. Unfortunately, my watch didn't charge again, so I popped back home and took a 20-minute-ish break after the first 5k to charge it. I'm mostly mad at myself because I didn't go out until mid-morning, and if I had checked the battery at any point beforehand, it would have been easy to charge it up a bit before I went out.

Anyway. It was fun to see all the runners and the people cheering them on. There was a DJ near mile 18 who was playing motivational music, and I ended up doing a couple of loops between the Washington Monument and the Capitol going the opposite direction of the race and yelling random encouraging platitudes at people. I expected I would be slow (mostly from dodging tourists), but I think the music and atmosphere were motivating me too, because I was reasonably fast for a long run.


ID: Looking up a few stairs, over grass and landscaping, at marathon runners passing in front of the Smithsonian Castle.


ID: MCM runners passing in front of the Capitol. I have cleverly angled the photo so the scaffolding in front of the building is blocked by trees.

When I turned off the course to go home, I felt a bit tired and achy. Part of that was being away from the excitement, part was running slightly uphill, but I think framing things in terms of marathon distances for all these weeks has made me forget that 12 miles is a pretty significant run! When I went to take my dog out after stretching, at first my legs and feet went, "Wait no we're done!" But I was fine after a block or two.

Fuel
Pre-run: regular breakfast (yogurt with apple and granola) because I wasn't going out right away
While waiting for my watch to charge: salted caramel GU
70ish minutes: Maurten gel
Post-run: half-pint mixed berry yogurt smoothie

I had another GU, but by the time I would have taken it I had less than 2 miles to go, so it seemed a little pointless. Although maybe it would have helped with the tiredness...

Totals
Mileage: 37.86
Time: 7:02:51

Coming up
I'm signed up for the Veterans Day 10K on Sunday, which I'll do as part of my (theoretically) 9-mile long run. (It will probably end up being a little over 10 miles because the start line is about 2 miles away and I will run there and back.)

But also: 10 min easy + drills and strides + 6 x 1 min uphill@VHI (<7:09)/2 min easy + 10 min easy

How??? It was hard to do 45s intervals of VHI on a flat surface. If I don't post next Sunday, it's possible this workout killed me.

 

[WillRunForPizza]

October 31 - November 6, 2022
Marathon training week 7 | 63 days until WDW Marathon
In which I have FOMO

Monday
Planned: 40 min easy
Completed: 40:01 easy (9:37)
Total: 4.16 miles

It has been unseasonably warm this week and I am not mad about it. (Have I mentioned that I hate being cold?) This was a pleasant run in pleasant conditions.

Plus: core

This was harder than I expected, but surprisingly I was not sore the next day.

Tuesday
Planned: 10 min easy + drills and strides + 1 min@5KP(7:54)/1 min easy + 2 min@10KP(8:12)/1 min easy + 3 min@HMP(8:36)/1 min easy + 2 min@10KP(8:12)/1 min easy + 1 min@5KP(7:54)/1 min easy + 2 min@10KP(8:12)/1 min easy + 3 min@HMP(8:36) + 10 min easy
Completed: 10 min easy (10:29) + drills and 5 strides? + 1 min@5KP(7:45)/1 min easy + 2 min@10KP(8:05)/1 min easy + 3 min@HMP(8:19)/1 min easy + 2 min@10KP(7:51)/1 min easy + 1 min@5KP(7:47)/1 min easy + 2 min@10KP(8:00)/1 min easy + 3 min@HMP(8:24) + 10:51 easy (9:58)
Total: 4.89 miles, 163 bpm

This was less complicated than it looks, and because the intervals were quite short for the paces I was (supposed to be) doing, it wasn't too difficult either. Of course, I managed to overrun every interval, but we can't have everything.

Plus: lower body strength

Wednesday
Planned: 40 min easy
Completed: 40:36 easy (9:56)
Total: 4.09 miles

Another lovely morning. My watch once again failed to capture a useful amount of HR data though.

Thursday
Planned: 10 min easy + drills and strides + 6 x 1 min uphill@VHI(<7:09)/2 min easy + 10 min easy
Completed: 10 min easy (10:07) + 6 x 1 min uphill@too fast/2 min easy + 5-6 strides and drills + 10 min easy
Interval splits: 6:58, 7:18, 7:46, 7:29, 7:40, 7:17
Total: 41:45, 4.18 miles

Ugh, hills. I hate hills.

Well, actually that's not quite true. I quite enjoy running down the hills. It's going back up them that's terrible. So this is how I saved this workout on my watch.

ID: Apple Watch Workout app with the Outdoor Run option up and the workout title "Death"

Part of the problem (a very small part) is that I don't feel like hill workouts give you enough information. Like, should I be finding the biggest hill I can? Does a slight upward slope count? Doesn't the grade affect how fast I'll be able to run? But anyway, I picked a medium-ish hill and decided that the numbers didn't matter; I should just run as fast as I could for 1 minute with the knowledge that I would have to do it 6 times.

As expected, it was quite miserable. You might notice that the first interval was actually under the pace, but that was because I started before I actually got to the real hill so half of it was almost flat. The rest were actually uphill. My HR data was sporadic again, but it did measure 200 bpm at one point. I felt like I was dying. My recovery intervals - going, you'll note, mostly downhill - were in the 11-12 minute/mile range. General yuck, especially when what I thought was interval #6 was actually interval #5 and I still had one more to go.

Because of location and timing, I saved the drills and strides for the end, which was interesting. Then my cooldown ended up being about 12 minutes, but my watch didn't record that because I started a new segment and it's annoying like that.

Friday
Planned: rest
Completed: rest

Saturday
Planned: 40 min easy
Completed: 41:14 easy (9:56)
Total: 4.15 miles, 156 bpm

Saturday morning was verging on too warm (63 + 61 when I went out at 8:15), but I was too happy to be able to wear a tank top and shorts in November in DC to get upset about it.

Plus: upper body strength

Sunday
Planned: 9 miles easy
Completed: 2.3 miles easy + Veterans Day 10K + 1.76 miles easy
Total: 1:36:09, 10.32 miles, 9:19 per mile, 166 bpm

I ran to the 10K start, then ran from the finish to the farmers market. I'll post a recap separately.

Fuel
Pre-run: yogurt and some coffee
~40 min: s'mores GU
After 10K finish: banana
Post-run: vanilla yogurt smoothie

Total
Mileage: 31.79 miles
Time: 6:05:02

This was a cutback week, so all a bit lower than last week.

My right knee has been aching a bit occasionally while running, and so has my left hip but not while running, and I'm not sure how concerned I should be. I'm still doing my PT exercises, and if it gets any worse I guess I'll see if I can make an appointment.

Coming up
Back to building, with a tempo run, some complicated-looking speed intervals, and 13 miles on Sunday

 

[DopeyBadger]

Part of the problem (a very small part) is that I don't feel like hill workouts give you enough information. Like, should I be finding the biggest hill I can? Does a slight upward slope count? Doesn't the grade affect how fast I'll be able to run? But anyway, I picked a medium-ish hill and decided that the numbers didn't matter; I should just run as fast as I could for 1 minute with the knowledge that I would have to do it 6 times.

Per this article:

https://www.podiumrunner.com/training/hill-workouts-speed-strength-endurance/
They recommend 4-5% grade for long repeats (minutes), 6-8% for short repeats (30-90 seconds), and "steepest you can find" for sprints (8-10 sec).

I can't remember if you're doing a McMillan plan, but his hill workouts are usually at 5k effort (not pace).

 

[azrivest]

Part of the problem (a very small part) is that I don't feel like hill workouts give you enough information.

I am so with you on this

 

[Naomeri]

Part of the problem (a very small part) is that I don't feel like hill workouts give you enough information. Like, should I be finding the biggest hill I can? Does a slight upward slope count? Doesn't the grade affect how fast I'll be able to run?

I’ve got hills workouts in my next plan, and they didn’t come with a lot of detail, so I googled and found this article and it made sense to me, and I have both kinds of hills just outside my neighborhood.

 

[WillRunForPizza]

Thanks for the tips! Looking at Strava, the grade of my hill varied between...2% and 13%? That doesn't seem right. But mostly in the 5-7% range.

 

[WillRunForPizza]

Race recap: Veterans Day 10K
November 6, 2022

Yes, I know that Veterans Day isn't until Friday. Tell that to the race organizers...

But in any case, I was planning to treat this race as part of my long run for the week and not race. (Really.) So even though it was a little disorganized, I didn't mind too much.

Packet pick-up
Like the DC Half, this race was organized by my local running store, Pacers. Packet pickup was a 10-15 minute walk away. I did have to go out twice because the race shirts, while nice long-sleeved technical shirts, were enormous. They did warn us the shirts ran large, but I thought they meant large for running gear. They did not. So I came back the next day and asked if I could trade mine for a smaller size. Here is what the conversation sounded like.

Me: I tried this shirt on and it is a tent. Can I switch sizes?
Volunteer: :sighs a little: Let me look up your name. Oh, look, ha ha, I see here you did order an XS.
Me: I did?
Me: ... Ohhhhhh...right.... :exaggerated wink:

And that is an example of how my snarky but extremely straightforward brain works.

Race day
Pre-race
I woke up at 5 because daylight savings time ended. I walked the dog and got home around 6:30. We both had breakfast and I got myself ready.

I had looked at Google Maps for the distance to the start line a few days before, and I remembered it being about 2 miles. Turns out that "about 2" meant "2.5", so when I saw that at 7:25, I suddenly became a hurricane to try to make the start at 8. I got out the door about 10 minutes later and ran probably a little too fast to get there. As is becoming a habit, I got to the race right as it was starting. :sigh:

Race
It wasn't a huge race - probably a few hundred runners. The course started in West Potomac Park and was more or less an out-and-back around East Potomac Park. It's very flat with just a tiny hill going over a bridge, and entirely on roads.


ID: Course map

I had thought that I wouldn't have to bring water on my long run since I was doing this race, but then they said there was only one water stop (at about mile 2.5/4.5), so I carried my handheld

Since I was treating the race as part of my long run, I wasn't planning to actually...race. I decided I could run faster than my normal LR pace but not as fast as I could. Exactly how fast that was, I wasn't entirely certain, because I'm pretty sure this was my first 10K race.

I started at the back after arriving late, so I got to do a bunch of weaving in the first mile or so. I'm used to it by now, though I arbitrarily decided that anything slower than HM pace/180 bpm - whichever came first - was acceptable, and I pretty much stuck to that, although I caught my pace creeping faster a couple of times. It's just so tempting to catch people...

It was weirdly warm and humid (66-69 + 65), which would have been a little annoying if I'd had a time goal. Since I didn't, I just enjoyed the opportunity to wear a tank top and shorts again. On the bright side, it was cloudy and a little drizzly for much of the race (pun intended), so that helped to cool things off a little.

I did start a new segment each time I passed a mile marker; otherwise I would have had no clue about my splits as the race started when I was 2.4 miles into my run.

Splits: 9:03, 9:22, 8:46, 8:51, 8:55, 8:52

I stopped at the water station in mile 2, grabbed a cup, tried to pour it into my bottle, and dropped the cap on the ground, which slowed me down a little. Otherwise I was reasonably happy with my performance. I finally let myself run when I hit the 6-mile mark, and I ran the last 0.2 in 1:29 (6:38 pace) Fun times.

Official time: 55:19

Technically this is a PR because I've never run a 10K before, but my HM 10K split from September was faster so not really.

Post-race
There were volunteers handing out water bottles at the finish line, but no snacks. This was not good; I was counting on a banana to carry me through the rest of the run. After some wandering, I did find the snacks by the gear check, which was not intuitive at all. No medals either

I think if I had been serious about this race, I would have been disappointed by the lack of course support and swag. But since I was just doing it for fun, I enjoyed it. I'm not good at not racing, but I did okay holding back. All in all, a pretty good run.

 

[azrivest]

Wow you're pretty fast. Congrats on the non PR running

 

[GollyGadget]

Congrats on not during during your death workout!

 

[WillRunForPizza]

November 7 - 13, 2022
Marathon training week 8 | 56 days until WDW Marathon
In which we're livin' on a prayer

Monday
Planned: 45 min easy
Completed: 45:04 easy (10:42)
Total: 4.21 miles, 145 bpm

It was surprisingly (but not unpleasantly) warm again. My legs were still pretty tired after Sunday's not-race, so I kept it slow. Then later on I was listening to a podcast and the host mentioned that he did his easy runs in the 9-10 min/mile range as a 2:45 (I think) marathoner. I looked it up and that's a 6:18 pace So then I thought maybe I should be doing all my easy runs slower - I had been during the summer, but as it got cooler, my paces got faster.

Plus: core

Tuesday
Planned: 10 min easy + drills and strides + 12 min@LTP(8:14)/5 min easy + 12 min@LTP(8:14) + 10 min easy
Completed: 13:57 easy (10:57) + drills and strides + 12 min@CV(8:04)/5 min easy (11:03) + 12 min@CV(8:03) + 11:14 easy (10:57)
Total: 59:11, 6.29 miles, 164 bpm

I thought this one would be pretty easy, but I was wrong. It was a struggle. It was windy and my legs STILL ached. Plus I ended up running basically at CV pace instead of LTP like I was supposed to. I maybe should have eaten before as well, but instead I cleaned up several piles of dog vomit because SOMEONE thinks it's a good idea to eat napkins off the ground (But he was fine afterwards.)

Plus: lower body strength

Me: My legs are tired.
Also me: Let's do a bunch of squats and deadlifts!
Also also me: Why do I hate myself???

I thought my legs might fall off.

Wednesday
Planned: 60 min easy
Completed: 1:01:34 easy (11:14)
Total: 5.48 miles, 136 bpm

Surprise, my legs were still very tired and a bit sore. They loosened up a bit as I warmed up, but I never really felt 100%. After the podcast I listened to Monday, I was planning to be slow, but I'm not sure I could have gone much faster anyway.

Thursday
Planned: 10 min easy + drills and strides + 3 x (4 x 30s@MAS(7:09) + 45s@LTP(8:14))/2:30 easy + 10 min easy
Completed: 10 min easy (10:33) + drills and strides + 3 x (4 x 30s@MAS+ + 45s@LTP-)/2:30 easy + 19:33 easy (10:41)
Total: 54:33, 5.6 miles

On Wednesday night I went out to dinner, had lots of fun, and didn't go to bed until 11:30. Then my furry alarm clock got his revenge for abandoning him for much of the day by still waking me up at 5:30. This is a normal wake-up time but also I normally go to bed around 9, so I was extra-tired.

Fortunately my legs were feeling a little better. The hardest part was definitely getting the paces right - 30/45 seconds is really too short to get good watch measurements. I ended up being consistently too slow on my MAS intervals and consistently too fast on my LTP intervals My watch also failed to give transition alerts a couple of times early on because it was too busy giving me pace alerts again, so I learned to keep any eye on the time.

Thursday afternoon: bonus shopping round
My office was closed Thursday afternoon, so I went to the running store to try out some new shoes. The Asics that I bought in May were getting a bit up there in mileage, and they are so cushioned that I really only used them for easy runs. Very comfortable for walking; not so great for even a little bit hard running.

I tried on a few different pairs and ended up with New Balance 880s and Hoka Mach 5s.

ID: Navy blue New Balances with pink and yellow accents on the left and sunrise-colored Hokas with blue laces on the right, sitting on a blue-and-brown striped white rug in front of the door

I added them both to Strava so I can track how many miles I've run in each and not just guess.

Friday
Planned: rest
Completed: rest

Saturday
Planned: 45 min easy
Completed: 46:15 easy (10:32)
Total: 4.39 miles, 146 bpm

After my rest day Friday, I finally felt recovered on Saturday, so this time I actually practiced slowing down on purpose rather than because I was tired. It was the perfect morning for an easy run, warm and sunny but not humid. At last, I was off the struggle bus! I tried the NBs and they were nice and springy.

Plus: upper body strength

Sunday
Planned: 13 miles easy
Completed: 13.14 miles easy
Total: 2:04:30, 9:28 per mile, 158 bpm

After a fairly nice week, it got cold again. And windy. Yuck. I did not enjoy the walk to the farmers market to drop off my food waste before the run, but once I got going it wasn't too bad. I probably did not need the fleece-lined leggings I was wearing, but I wasn't overheated or anything. I ran through Rock Creek Park to Beach Drive, always a favorite.


ID: A paved trail running along Rock Creek, curving under a bridge and then off to the left. A fence and some green(ish)ery separate the trail from the creek.

I did not try to run extra-slow even though it was supposed to be easy; that extra time adds up on a long run. But HR-wise, everything looked fine, except for one point when my HR got up to 185. No confusion this time, though - I just went, "wow, my cadence is getting really good!" I stopped trying to be quicker once I got to 170 spm, but it continues to improve, I think because of all the speedwork and running drills in my training plan.

I tried out the Hokas. They're quite light! The sides come up higher than my other shoes - I can feel them on my ankles - and I was a little worried about chafing/blisters, but I didn't have any issues. It felt a little odd because I wasn't used to it, but it wasn't uncomfortable.

I got home feeling pretty good. My puppy, as always, was delighted to see me:


ID: A Rottweiler lying on his side on a navy blue couch with his head on a pillow with a flower design. Truly the epitome of excitement.

Fuel
Pre-run: oatmeal and coffee
40ish minutes: birthday cake GU (YUM. Tastes like cake batter.)
75ish minutes: caramel macchiato GU
100ish minutes: Maurten gel
Post-run: honey yogurt smoothie

No issues here. I'm still trying to figure out the right timing for taking gels, but I'm moving towards something like one every 30-40 minutes.

Total
Mileage: 39.11
Time: 7:39:35

So close to 40! But not close enough that I could reasonably add it on to my long run. Halfway through marathon training and it was a tough week, but I think I got through the hard part. Of this week.

In other news, the medal from my SEPTEMBER half finally arrived. It is...colorful.

ID: A rectangular medal with a design like a yellow cow with pink spots. It says DC Half: Race the District in dark green in the middle and then 2022 in a dark green splotch on the right.

Coming up
I'll get to 40 next week assuming I don't miss anything. However, the weather is going from unseasonably warm to unseasonably cold Dislike. And I can't skip any days because on Saturday I'll be spending the whole day in the back seat of my parents' car with the dog as we are headed to Florida for the holidays! Is it almost Thanksgiving already? Hard to believe - and only 8 weeks until the marathon!

 

[WillRunForPizza]

November 14 - 20, 2022
Marathon training week 9 | 49 days until WDW Marathon
In which I sit far too much

Monday
Planned: 50 min easy
Completed: 50:34 easy (11:14)
Total: 4.5 miles, 136 bpm

This was pretty miserable. I was freezing the entire time, and instead of loosening up during the run, I just felt increasingly tired. The best thing I can say about it is that I finished it.

Plus: core

This one wasn't my favorite either, except for the last exercise, which was sort of standing crunches and kind of fun.

Tuesday
Planned: 10 min easy + drills and strides + 35 min @ SSP (8:40) + 10 min easy
Completed: 11:01 easy (10:19) + drills and strides + 35:05 @ 8:25 + 10 min easy (9:56)
Total: 1:01:06, 6.81 miles, 168 bpm

This run felt a lot better than Monday's - maybe moving faster helped me stay warm. It's also fun to compare this to the HM-pace runs I did over the summer. I did basically a 4-mile HM-pace run, and I ran faster and it felt so much easier than it ever did during my HM training. I'm chalking it up to a combination of improved fitness, cooler weather, and the knowledge I'd already run a HM at that pace. I ran it a little faster than I should have and still felt great when I finished.

Plus: lower body strength

Wednesday
Planned: 60 min easy
Completed: 1:00:30 easy (10:20)
Total: 5.85 miles, 150 bpm

A blah kind of run. I had to run into the wind on the way back and did not enjoy it.

Thursday
Planned: 50 min easy
Completed: 51:10 easy (9:44)
Total: 5.26 miles, 159 bpm

On Thursday I decided that I could run slowly when it was warmer. And picking up the pace a bit did feel better.

Friday
Planned: 10 min easy + drills and strides + 11 min accel from jog to sprint + 10 min walk to jog + 3 min accel from jog to sprint + 10 min walk to jog
Completed: 10 min easy + drills and strides + 11 min accel from jog to sprint + 10 min walk to jog + 3 min accel from jog to sprint + 10 min walk to jog
Total: 54:17, 5.69 miles, 163 bpm

I didn't love this workout. It looks fairly straightforward but it was hard to execute. I tried to do some math on the fly to figure out how fast I should be accelerating, but it didn't really help and I ended up more-or-less winging it. I did overall get faster throughout the intervals and felt pretty beat when I got to stop.

Plus: upper body strength

I actually did this first because it was very cold Friday morning and I wanted to give the air and myself as much opportunity as possible to warm up. I do prefer running first, but since this was all upper body it didn't cause any problems.

Saturday
Planned: rest
Completed: rest

I mean, in the sense that driving with a dog from DC to Palm Coast, FL (took just about 12 hours) is rest. Which is not much, but I ended up doing laps around the living room of my parents' condo at 10 p.m. so I could close my rings and not break my move streak. Apple got to me, y'all

Sunday
Planned: 14 miles easy
Completed: 14.07 miles easy (10:08)
Total: 2:22:43, (160 bpm)

I had planned to run in Palm Coast, but it was very windy and rainy there and we ended up driving back to Orlando in the morning instead and got in around 12:30. The forecast for Orlando said no rain from 12-3, and then possibly pouring rain from 3 on. So I rushed out the door as quickly as I could when we arrived to try to beat the rain.

What actually happened: it rained pretty steadily for the first 90+ minutes of my run and then stopped and didn't start again It wasn't that cold - probably mid-50s - but with the rain and the wind my hands and arms felt pretty chilled in my t-shirt, especially on the way back when I was running into the wind. I ended up picking up the pace around 9 miles in, not because I was feeling great but because I was just ready to be done.

Also my watch's HR monitor got cadence-locked on and off again so that data isn't great.

Fuel
Also did not go well. I didn't have time for an actual lunch because I was rushing out the door, so I just ate a bunch of peanut butter pretzels from TJ's in the car. They were good, but not really a meal. Then my last GU fell out of my hydration vest pocket while I was crossing the street and I couldn't find it before I had to move, so I didn't have any fuel for the second half of my run. Overall not awesome.

Pre-run: yogurt with apple and granola for breakfast, peanut butter pretzels in the car
35ish minutes: caramel GU
70ish minutes: Maurten gel
Post-run: mixed berry yogurt smoothie, brownie, nuun

Total
Mileage: 42.18
Time: 7:54:43

Over 40! That's so many miles, at least for me.

Coming up
A cutback week before we get to the really long runs. And Thanksgiving! I love Thanksgiving. I swapped out my second workout for the week for the local Turkey Trot. My tentative plan is to try to run it at LTP, but I will adjust depending on how I feel that morning.

 

[GollyGadget]

| 49 days until WDW Marathon

Holy cow! How did it get so close? I knew it was 7 weeks, but 49 days sounds so much closer!

The best thing I can say about it is that I finished it.

Sometimes that's all that matters. Not every run will be good.