Well-Trained Bodies- June Edition

[wintermom]

I played doubles tennis last evening with my dh and 2 other men. I took my puffer and it was unbelievable the difference it made! I could run around the entire 2 hours feeling strong. It helped a lot that it wasn't hot, either.  I must tatoo this in my brain - remember to take puffer when it's outdoor allergy season!!  Thanks for reminding my this year, Soror!

[SarahCB]

I feel like a million dollars today! Ran 18.2 km with the group up and down some serious hills. Runkeeper says the elevation climb was 533m. I had my shins taped up - I'm a little scared to run with them untaped, but I think I'll try the Tuesday run with no tape and see how I feel. Funny how the first 5km is always the hardest. After I get warmed up I'm usually pretty good. The weather was beautiful and the route was incredible scenic. Great ocean, city, and lake views. Beautiful trails. And fun coffee time afterwards. I really needed this - I feel like all my moving stress has melted away. I'm going to pack the RV today and get a bunch of other stuff in order. 

[wintermom]

7 hours ago, Monica_in_Switzerland said:

I think at this point I could do a 7 miler again, but I don't think it would be wise, so I'd like to have a few weeks to build back up, then plan my half marathon training form there, with whatever amount of time remains.  I'm good at running on guts alone, but I'm beginning to understand I'm not as young as I used to be and injury is a real possibility if I start taking risks.    

 

That is smart thinking! I wish I'd thought of that before tackling fence climbing this winter. ? It's so annoying trying to recover from an injury as we age.

[SarahCB]

7 hours ago, Monica_in_Switzerland said:

As for me, I'm trying to save a bad running week.  I ran Monday, then skipped T, W, Th.  Ran Friday.  If I run both days this weekend, I'll scrape out my 4x a week goal.  While my mom was in town, I also lost my early morning wake-up habit, and binge-watching a netflix series this week has not helped.  A few more episodes, then it will be out of my system.  ?    I also hope one of my weekend runs will about around 5 miles... that will put me on track for where I want to be in September.  I think at this point I could do a 7 miler again, but I don't think it would be wise, so I'd like to have a few weeks to build back up, then plan my half marathon training form there, with whatever amount of time remains.  I'm good at running on guts alone, but I'm beginning to understand I'm not as young as I used to be and injury is a real possibility if I start taking risks.    

 

It's smart to give it time. I always get frustrated when something sidelines me, but I'm also a big chicken when it comes to injury. I took a week off with the shins and then ran three times last week and didn't push myself. Now that I've got a long run under my belt and I still feel good I'm going to up my runs to 4 times this week. 

[SarahCB]

1 minute ago, wintermom said:

That is smart thinking! I wish I'd thought of that before tackling fence climbing this winter. ? It's so annoying trying to recover from an injury as we age.

I'm going to learn from your mistake. No fence climbing for me! 

[wintermom]

2 minutes ago, SarahCB said:

I'm going to learn from your mistake. No fence climbing for me! 

Although soror's tower climbing does sound very interesting....   I'm a climber by nature, and perhaps I need a safer outlet to explore. ?

[Kim in Appalachia]

I finished stage 2 today for my lifting plan.  I also ran 2 miles. Now to attempt and focus and get some school work done. 

[Soror]

You ladies are cracking me up! I agree let's avoid injuries and after @wintermom 's fence snafu I'm not looking to try my parkour skills out anytime soon! 

@Sarah CB your run sounds perfect, absolutely, glad you got some stress relief. 

@Monica_in_Switzerland ITA ease back into it, way better to avoid an injury which will really knock you out of exercising.

WTG @Kim in Appalachia ! Do you have special workouts at the end of each stage for NROWL? At the end of each phase in Strong you test your maxes, I'm really excited about it, although for some I don't think I'll get any high than I am now. 

I did Workout A of Stage 1 today, 3rd week in the books, 1 week to go. I skipped intervals but had done a stand-alone session Thurs. Yesterday, was a pretty darn lazy I just felt tired, too many long days and last night I didn't get in until 11:30, 3 hrs past my bedtime. I dragged butt out of bed this morning!

I measured today and I've lost another inch off my thighs, even though my weight hasn't moved but 1-2 pounds. Body recomposition! When I lost my weight and my hips were still so much bigger I just figured that was their new size, guess I just needed to build some muscle. I'm now just an inch bigger in my hips then my pre-kid size. I'll be interested to see where I end up as I work on strength training, it is changing my body much more quickly and easily than yoga (although yoga is good for other things). 

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

Well, I did get in my 5 miler this weekend (5.5 actually. ?) at an 11:30 pace which felt very relaxed.  I did not run on Sunday however, so only 3x for the week.  I'll aim for four runs this week.  I'd like to progress to 5 over the next 4-6 weeks or so.  Actually, now I've got several goals in mind:

- Move runs from 3-4x a week to 4-5x a week

- One long run each week, adding about a mile a week, with some step-down weeks (pretty standard half marathon build-up)

- Add in 1 day of hill repeats per week

- Keep hard running to 1-2 sessions per week, run everything else at relaxed pace

- Bring back the AM run and stop this evening nonsense.  

I'm surprised how much picking a race date has helped me focus.  On running, that is.  Homeschool has gone all to he!! in the mean time.  I really cannot juggle more than a couple of balls at a time.  ?

[Soror]

@Monica_in_Switzerland good for you getting in your runs, having a goal does massively help. And I hear you on hs'ing- it is hard to focus on more than one thing at a time but you know as you get into the groove with your new schedule it will line out. 

The girls and I did a mile walk Monday morning. Then I was supposed to do swim lessons w/ dd3 but she got moved up a class so I sat there and got bit by bugs instead. Heading into do Strong workout this am, last week of this phase, woot! I'm still sore from the push-ups since I just moved to doing them all from my toes last week I'm feeling it. Tonight I plan to do intervals, we are supposed to do 6 intervals per workout but Mom and I probably won't get that many in this morning due to time constraints, I'll do whatever I can with her and get in 6 tonight. 

[SarahCB]

@Monica_in_Switzerland - nice running plan! As much as I hate hill repeats, I can't believe how much I've improved over the year. 

@soror - I've got to check out the Strong program when I get to our new home. Dh wants me to try going to the gym with him (no trainer!!) and I need a good program to follow. 

I've got packers in my house packing up all our stuff which is stressing me out a lot more than I thought it would. It's totally different when I know I won't see any of this stuff for 8 weeks and in that time I've got a graduation, a wedding, and a drive across the country. They almost packed the RV keys... The wedding dress is in the RV, so I guess as long as that makes it out with us anything else can be replaced. 

I had a major breakthrough yesterday. I was getting ready to drive ds in for his exam and I was thinking I would drop ds off and then go sit at Dairy Queen with a book. I told myself that this is a stressful time and I certainly deserve a giant ice cream treat. But, it was a beautiful day and as I was driving I kept thinking what a great day it was for a run. Then I realized that my desire to run was greater than my desire for ice cream. I drove home, changed into my running clothes, and had a fantastic run. It was a huge stress relief and I felt so great afterwards. 

This morning I ran with my training group. Speed repeats. I'm off to the gym tonight at 6:30 - after all the kids exams are done and the packers are out of the house. 

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

@Sarah CB  Now see, I'd MUCH rather do hills than speed work.  This is probably due to track practice flashbacks.  ?  With hills, I feel like I'm making progress.  With speed work, I feel like a rat on a wheel.  LOL.  I have to mess around with my watch to see about doing speed work on a normal run loop... maybe there is some happy compromise somewhere...  

 

ETA:  Good job on the ice cream vs run !!!

[mamaraby]

I had to hunt the thread down because apparently it's June and one should not expect to see alerts for the May thread. ?

I'm technically five weeks into marathon training, but the first week was the week after my half marathon race which I took off. I'm still running week 5 on the plan so I'm going to call it week 5. Cuz it sounds good. I've decided to stick with what worked really well for me this spring and that led to my PR so I've gone back to my own thing. Running someone else's plans really feels like wearing someone else's shoes. I ran 40 minutes easy on the treadmill today and got in some upper body strength training at the gym and some core work at home.

I'll see your hills and speed workouts and trade it for the long run. I like hills and I like speed, but there's nothing quite like running for 2 hours or more. If there's one thing that I learned while trying the new plan, it's that I adore, those long slow miles.

@Monica_in_Switzerland - Looks like a good set of goals to work toward!

And that's about all I have time for because apparently the people here are going to want to eat dinner. ? But hey, I subscribed so that's half the battle.

[wintermom]

My exercise has been really gentle the last few days. I've gone for a few bike rides with a dc as a buddy, and a few walks with friends, a dc and/or a dog. While this is really nice, I feel like I should be getting in more intense work-outs. I've been very unmotivated to go to a dark gym when it's so beautiful outside.  I will be playing tennis tomorrow and the next day, so that will bring up the intensity!

I just bought myself a new swim suit, so I will try to go do some lap swimming very soon. 

[SarahCB]

11 hours ago, mamaraby said:

I had to hunt the thread down because apparently it's June and one should not expect to see alerts for the May thread. ?

I'm technically five weeks into marathon training, but the first week was the week after my half marathon race which I took off. I'm still running week 5 on the plan so I'm going to call it week 5. Cuz it sounds good. I've decided to stick with what worked really well for me this spring and that led to my PR so I've gone back to my own thing. Running someone else's plans really feels like wearing someone else's shoes. I ran 40 minutes easy on the treadmill today and got in some upper body strength training at the gym and some core work at home.

I'll see your hills and speed workouts and trade it for the long run. I like hills and I like speed, but there's nothing quite like running for 2 hours or more. If there's one thing that I learned while trying the new plan, it's that I adore, those long slow miles.

 

Wow - marathon training! I'd love to hear more about your training plan.

I can't say I really enjoy the hills or speed training - though I do like stair workouts - long runs are definitely my favourite. I ran 18km on the weekend and it was awesome. 

Gym last night was really good. Nothing like a hard workout after a stressful day. I don't normally go to the gym in the evening, but between kid exams and the packers being at the house, I had to schedule my gym time later. Walking lunges with 30lb dumbbells in each hand just about killed me. Also did dumbbell bench press, shoulder press with 25lb dumbbells, TRX rows, chin-ups with my foot in the elastic band thing, and that hamstring exercise where I'm in a bridge with my heels on the big weight and I have to push it away and bring it back. It's hard to believe I spent an entire hour doing just six exercises...

Movers come to take everything away today. And I've got a rest day scheduled. I'll probably take the dog out for a walk this evening once everything is done.

[SarahCB]

11 hours ago, wintermom said:

My exercise has been really gentle the last few days. I've gone for a few bike rides with a dc as a buddy, and a few walks with friends, a dc and/or a dog. While this is really nice, I feel like I should be getting in more intense work-outs. I've been very unmotivated to go to a dark gym when it's so beautiful outside.  I will be playing tennis tomorrow and the next day, so that will bring up the intensity!

I just bought myself a new swim suit, so I will try to go do some lap swimming very soon. 

Nothing like some new clothes to spur on a workout! 

[Soror]

12 hours ago, mamaraby said:

I had to hunt the thread down because apparently it's June and one should not expect to see alerts for the May thread. ?

I'm technically five weeks into marathon training, but the first week was the week after my half marathon race which I took off. I'm still running week 5 on the plan so I'm going to call it week 5. Cuz it sounds good. I've decided to stick with what worked really well for me this spring and that led to my PR so I've gone back to my own thing. Running someone else's plans really feels like wearing someone else's shoes. I ran 40 minutes easy on the treadmill today and got in some upper body strength training at the gym and some core work at home.

I'll see your hills and speed workouts and trade it for the long run. I like hills and I like speed, but there's nothing quite like running for 2 hours or more. If there's one thing that I learned while trying the new plan, it's that I adore, those long slow miles.

@Monica_in_Switzerland - Looks like a good set of goals to work toward!

And that's about all I have time for because apparently the people here are going to want to eat dinner. ? But hey, I subscribed so that's half the battle.

I've wondered where you've been!!!! So glad to see you. ITA with following your own plan, best way to customize things and evidently you got down what your body needs!

12 hours ago, wintermom said:

My exercise has been really gentle the last few days. I've gone for a few bike rides with a dc as a buddy, and a few walks with friends, a dc and/or a dog. While this is really nice, I feel like I should be getting in more intense work-outs. I've been very unmotivated to go to a dark gym when it's so beautiful outside.  I will be playing tennis tomorrow and the next day, so that will bring up the intensity!

I just bought myself a new swim suit, so I will try to go do some lap swimming very soon. 

I think everyone has to have gentle periods and I prefer to be outside too when the weather is nice but I already have prescheduled times to go and (2) it has been blazing hot here- heat index over 100. I wish I was a good swimmer, this is a perfect time of year for that!!! 

57 minutes ago, SarahCB said:

Wow - marathon training! I'd love to hear more about your training plan.

I can't say I really enjoy the hills or speed training - though I do like stair workouts - long runs are definitely my favourite. I ran 18km on the weekend and it was awesome. 

Gym last night was really good. Nothing like a hard workout after a stressful day. I don't normally go to the gym in the evening, but between kid exams and the packers being at the house, I had to schedule my gym time later. Walking lunges with 30lb dumbbells in each hand just about killed me. Also did dumbbell bench press, shoulder press with 25lb dumbbells, TRX rows, chin-ups with my foot in the elastic band thing, and that hamstring exercise where I'm in a bridge with my heels on the big weight and I have to push it away and bring it back. It's hard to believe I spent an entire hour doing just six exercises...

Movers come to take everything away today. And I've got a rest day scheduled. I'll probably take the dog out for a walk this evening once everything is done.

Is it bittersweet having the movers come and take it all? Working out is such a great stress relief and I've totally spent an hour on just a few exercises, when you are going all out that happens! I've only done walking lunges up to 20# dbs- lots of fun! WE're not doing them now on the new program but I kind of miss them!  Hope you have a great rest day.

I'm not a runner but if I had to pick I'd pick sprints over hills! 

Yesterday's workout w/ Mom was a good one the last two times I had not slept best the previous nights, it makes such a HUGE difference.  I think my push-ups were a smidgen easier- they're still hard and my form could be better but it is getting there bit by bit. I'm doing 12 at a time now- I was just thinking of long-term goals- I'd love to be able to get to 20 or 25 in a row- Maybe by the end of the year? WE did get in our 6 intervals on the bike. In the evening I just did 30 minutes- warmed up on the rower which felt harder today. Then I did some farmer's walks w/ kb's in each hand- first 35# and then 45# (so 90# total). Climbed the rope because it makes me feel like a badass, worked on handsfree shoulderstand w/ raising and lowering my legs, headstand, crow and double arm lever, leg raises, and I don't remember what else. Today I plan on an am walk w/ the girls and dh is saying he wants to go to the gym w/ me in the evening (so weird!!!!)

 

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

@mamaraby  If you can run the week 5 plan, then you are in week 5 of training.  ?  That's the rule I just made up.  ?  

I'd also like to hear how your plan is laid out.  I totally get the "someone else's shoes" analogy.  I've found that about myself both in using other people's curriculum plans and in contemplating plans for a half or full.  I look at the plans and I'm already thinking, "Well, I don't have a 4 mile loop, I have a 3.3 or a 4.5.  And I refuse to do speed work, so that'll have to sub as hills.  And I don't have a 10k route, but I have a 7 miler I can sub in here..." At some point, I may as well just build my own thing after studying a few professional schedules.  And since my rebellious side and my loves-to-check-the-box side can cause me to simply give up in frustration, I feel like having a loose idea of what a week should look like and how things should evolve over time is just better for me.  The only fixed thing will be long runs.  

Speaking of... time for me to get ready for a run in this miserable heat.  I really, really, really need to get back into my early morning habit or I won't survive the summer.  ???

 

[Soror]

Morning walk- 30 ish minutes

Dh wants to do an hour long bike ride, le sigh, I honestly would rather be lazy but I guess I won't be...

[mamaraby]

@Monica_in_Switzerland - I like your rule! ?

I have hemmed and hawed about this a bit. The great debate in marathon training is time vs. distance. I was following a heart rate plan that’s strongly based on Maffetone’s work which I guess is fine. My plan was definitely geared towards people who do not run consistently and generally need someone to help them work up to consistency and 5 days of running. Well, I’m consistent and have been running 5 days since July of last year which is down from 6 days in early 2017 so I don’t need help with that. Dh says I’m sometimes too focused on following the plan and I could loosen up. But I’ve also never run a marathon. So beginning marathoner, not beginner runner. 

The appeal of the plan was the coach and the community aspect which was nice, but in the end I just don’t know if I’m sold on limiting runs to hear rate and after reading a few race reports...one especially who was undertrained for the distance...well, I worry about time on feet. I did the math on the plan and it did not look like enough time wise, but of course you can’t really see that until you buy it. I want to finish my marathon strong like I did at the end of my half in May - kicking butt and taking names. ? 

Anyways, having spent money already on a plan, I didn’t want to spend more money on another plan even if it was plan b. Plan C - I’m going to use some of the things I’ve found worked in the past for half marathon training and then go with the philosophy type bits from the running folks whose work I respect and seems most solidly based in science. I’m using some Tempo runs from Jenny Hadfield’s Intermediate plan and her overall structure with the general mileage from the Hansons “Just Finish” plan. I’m going with Jenny Hadfield’s long run mileage/build up which gets me two 20 mile runs and three or so weeks where you cut back in mileage and split those long runs so the first half of that run is at your training pace and the second half is at race pace. Those runs are a lot like the simulation runs in my half plan which I found invaluable come race day. I’m using my McMillan training paces/heart rate zones to help me gauge intensity.

From there, I’m swaping the sixth day of running from Hansons for cycling because six days of running has been too much for me in the past and I liked the cycling from my off season training. One of the five running days I’m going to run on the treadmill so it gets me physically in the gym. Then that day plus the cycling day, I will go back to the strength training I did in the “off season” because that’s the thing I changed from before that resulted in my big PRs.

On the three non-weight lifting days I’m going to aim for some core work. Plus clamshells all six days because that helped avoid last year’s hip issue. And the seventh day I’ll take completely off. Long runs I’ll probably do on Friday because during soccer season it would be impossible to fit in. Sundays will be the day I take completely off also because of soccer.

@soror - Hills are not bad and the best part of running uphill is that you get to go downhill. Plus, if you “sit” ever so slightly into the downhill then it’s rather restful.

[SarahCB]

8 hours ago, Monica_in_Switzerland said:

 

[SarahCB]

@Monica_in_Switzerland I think I'm going to have a rough transition into reality when we leave here in two weeks and I have to run in the heat. It's been cool here - so I've been running in tights, long sleeved shirts, and, often, a light jacket. 

@Mamaraby - I feel like I need to read a bunch of running books now. I read a bit about the Maffetone method, but my heart rate runs high - I can run forever at about 159, which is almost 90% max heart rate using the standard 220 calculations and is *way* above the MAF recommendation of 140. Maybe I *really* need the MAF method ? Thanks for explaining your training. I wish I knew enough to figure things out on my own. For the last year I've been part of a running group and our trainer sends out weekly plans and then we run three times a week together (one with a focus on speed, one on hills, and one long run). 

[mamaraby]

1 hour ago, SarahCB said:

@Monica_in_Switzerland I think I'm going to have a rough transition into reality when we leave here in two weeks and I have to run in the heat. It's been cool here - so I've been running in tights, long sleeved shirts, and, often, a light jacket. 

@Mamaraby - I feel like I need to read a bunch of running books now. I read a bit about the Maffetone method, but my heart rate runs high - I can run forever at about 159, which is almost 90% max heart rate using the standard 220 calculations and is *way* above the MAF recommendation of 140. Maybe I *really* need the MAF method ? Thanks for explaining your training. I wish I knew enough to figure things out on my own. For the last year I've been part of a running group and our trainer sends out weekly plans and then we run three times a week together (one with a focus on speed, one on hills, and one long run). 

Well, I say if what you’re doing works, then I’d do that. There are limitations to HR training, especially if you are using a standard calculation instead of your numbers. For instance, since I have a HR strap and a Garmin, my max HR is 202. If I use the standard calculation, then I’m leaving training capacity out. Likewise, if you just go off of HR max then the numbers you get are lower than if you use HR Reserve which takes into account your resting heart rate. Even when calculating my HRR, I used the last resting HR I knew which wasn’t necessarily accurate since I didn’t take it upon first waking and when I’m well rested.

And even then there’s HR drift which we know occurs even if intensity or effort doesn’t go up - especially in long runs and probably due to dehydration among other factors. So the longer you run, the more you’ll slow down. To the point that you’re basically walking. Which excludes heat and humidity which impacts heart rate, too. Along with how rested you are. And how stressed you are. Even how stressed or anxious you are when completing the workout. Or if you take a drink....

I’ve found generally that when I use the McMillan calculator with my recent half marathon result, my heart rate generally matches up with the ranges he gives for the training paces the calculator suggests. Since I can tend to run all my workouts too fast if I’m not careful, I think I’ll go with that.

[wintermom]

@mamaraby I discovered that running a full marathon is WAY different than a half. The race is so long and there are so many factors that can build up over the  + or -4 hours hours of the race that effect the final outcome. In a half, it's way easier to push on through if the drink/food/electrolytes are messed up, or the pace is too fast, or the temps are rough. It's harder to manage the physical aspects with the full. It's also harder to manage the psychological factors in the full.  It's worth training for and running a marathon, but it's also really nutty. You train your ass off for 4 months, and it all comes down to one shot at the race. If something goes wrong, you wait another 4 - 6 months to try it all again.  I wouldn't lose your mind about the minor details of the training plan. Just do what you can and tweak it to your own body. Enjoy your journey toward the marathon. In the end, it all comes down to that crazy race where anything can happen - usually seems to be the unexpected happens.

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

@mamaraby @SarahCB

Hear rate training... I have such mixed feelings!  I do use a garmin chest strap and my watch always shows current pace and HR.  My easy runs (based on breathing and perceived effort) tend to be around 165bpm, which of course is high compared to any HR calculator.  Forget Maffetone, if I ran 140... I'd be walking.  ?

And yet I do believe in periodization.  When I run my fast 5k once a week, my HR is around 180-185.  And I definitely get HR creep, so long runs might start around 160, but are generally 175 by 2/3rds of the way through.  

I feel like the more I read and the more I look at my own data compared to perceived effort, the more I find my zones are completely personal and can't be based from a calculator.  My hope over the next few months is to actually move away from HR and over to pace calculators like McMillan, but I don't have enough miles yet to feel like that's reliable.  My times are still going down pretty quickly from noob gains at this point.  The people on the reddit running forum were really helpful in getting me to accept that, despite what I read online, my easy pace might really be at a 165 HR.  

@wintermom is right about the marathon!  I had similar training plans and running speeds in training for the three I've done (each one year from the last), and yet my times were 5:03, 3:57, 3:43.  I took AN HOUR off my first time simply from gaining experience.  I think it's fair to approach a first marathon by saying, "I plan to finish it" and not necessarily having a time goal.    

[Soror]

Man, I so wish I had a HR monitor. It is so interesting to hear you ladies talk about it. I've just started watching mine a bit but can only do it when I'm on machines doing intervals and I've kind of wondered if mine is running too high and if my recovery is too long. Reading Strong yesterday and I can't reach his BP goal for recovery until probably 2.5 minutes (instead of 1-1.5) but I can talk and breath normally well before then. Gah, I wish I wasn't broke. If I get some money from the parents for my bday maybe I can find a decent one that isn't too much. Suggestions? 

I'm so glad I went on the ride yesterday, I LOVE that trail, it is a blast. BUT the rain really picked up so we were slipping all over the place. Then my chain got loose and it just didn't feel right, when we got to a stopping point and finally caught up to dh he looked at it and I was stuck in the highest gear. No wonder I was struggling up the hills (I thought maybe it was just me!). That kicked my butt, I had to push it up some, we ended up cutting the ride a bit short. We got in 4.82 miles in 39 minutes- our pace increased from 5.8- 7.2 mph and that was in the rain w/ a bike stuck in high gear half of it, I'm really itching to see what we can get on a good day. I really want to try the full 12 mile trail this weekend but that all depends on dh figuring out what is wrong and fixing my bike.

I ate too much yesterday. It never works for me to have a small breakfast, I end up eating more later. I'm always better off to eat most of my calories in the first half of the day. 

8am- workout w/ Mom: 4:30 workout by myself- probably playing around again

 

[lynn]

I continue to press play on beach body on demand or get outside and run most days and eating mindfully.  I did enjoy Texas bbq ,in and out, and Tucson Mexican food without guilt while on vacation.  I enjoyed being able to float in the last river at the resort with my dd and not be self-conscious about wearing my bathing suit all the hard work paid off.   I'd like to run more but can't always get out early enough to beat humidity kwim.   

[wintermom]

I just finished the second tennis match of my "tennis marathon" this week. I have matches (some fun and some competitive) 4 days in a row. I've also been getting in some biking everyday. I'm starting to feel more energetic as the allergy meds are doing their job. Hopefully the pollen count will be down soon. 

[mamaraby]

@wintermom - Aside from a pace to shoot for in training, I have no delusions of a particular finish time. I have two goals for this race - finishing within the course time limit (6 1/2 hrs) and finishing strong. Strong I define not as fast, but as not feeling like I’ve injured or wrecked myself along the way. I’m also running it with someone whose run a marathon before and who knows me really well. After spectating at dh’s marathon last year, I could see the struggle was real! One thing I’ve learned about myself is that I really enjoy training for something. If it wasn’t a race, it would be something else. I enjoy race day, but I equally enjoy completing the training plan. I’d feel worse about not finishing than I would about not finishing within a specific time while also holding open the option not to finish because like you pointed out, there are so many variables.

Hope the pollen eases up soon! Glad to hear the medicine is helping!

@lynn - being comfortable in a swimsuit is huge! I spent so many years not doing things and missing out because I was not comfortable in my own body.

@Monica_in_Switzerland - well at 140 I was walking so...yeah. I did learn how to shuffle along at a walking pace while using the muscle chain you use to run so that’s pretty useful. Not sure if that makes sense, but it’s interesting to feel the difference in muscles used when shuffling/walking with pace remaining the same. There was some benefit in running the numbers through McMillan’s calculator and finding that my hr matched the ranges within his paces. It was kind of a “well, duh” moment because of course my heart rates are there. That’s my fitness level and of course dh’s are way lower than mine. He’s that much fitter which is a measure of all sorts of other things and not a reflection on me. If that make sense?

I think HR has some value in helping you more accurately feel that “easy” pace so easy is really easy and not “easier” because you could run faster.

@soror - do you have a smartphone? You can get a bluetooth chest strap and connect it to just about every fitness app out there. The straps are pretty inexpensive and then you can see if you even find it helpful. I’d check DCRainmaker for reviews.

45 minutes on the bike and strength training today. Next week my goal is to learn how tonise the assisted pull-up machine at the gym.

[wintermom]

1 hour ago, mamaraby said:

@wintermom - Aside from a pace to shoot for in training, I have no delusions of a particular finish time. I have two goals for this race - finishing within the course time limit (6 1/2 hrs) and finishing strong. Strong I define not as fast, but as not feeling like I’ve injured or wrecked myself along the way. 

I don't know that it's possible to finish a full marathon "strong." ? Most of the people at the finish line looked completely spent to me. I only ran 2 full marathons and though I was pretty happy with my times, i needed to put every last particle of energy I could find into finishing those races. I was completely satisfied with simply finishing the entire marathon.  I didn't have anything worse than sore muscles and recovering from wicked cramps (cramps I had to deal with from the 30 km mark to the finish), so in that sense it could be considered a strong finish. ?  Those last 12 km were the worst ever, but I didn't quit. That was the success for me. 

All the very best with your training and race!!

[mamaraby]

@soror - Looks like DCr recommends the Wahoo Tickr chest strap. Amazon has it for $50 and it looks like they have their own app, too. Not sure if that’s within your budget, but maybe you can find it cheaper elsewhere. I think the tech in chest straps is pretty standard aside from certain sport specific metrics so it may just come down to comfort for you since you’ll want to wear it for an extended period.

@wintermom - That sounds fairly strong. What was interesting at the end of dh’s marathon was the difference in finishers within the same finish time. Some definitely finished strong and others were really struggling just to finish. If I can train to increase my chances of being within that first group, I’m going to work towards that. It gets me further towards my larger fitness goals, too.

[wintermom]

@mamaraby The thing I found the most interesting was the large number of men who made a bee line for a row of trees about 5km into the race do "relieve themselves." ?  They avoided the stinkin' long lines for the porta-potties before the race.   I think there is some delayed reaction at the finish line, too. I ran across my first marathon pretty strong, but then made the fatal error of sitting down on the grass. I had the hardest time getting up again and lifting my legs into the car!  

[Soror]

@mamaraby thanks so much for the recommendation- I've been checking them out on Amazon

Good workout yesterday am. Short walk with dh in the evening.

I didn't go in the afternoon all the kids suddenly got sick, it is the weirdest thing. First, dd1 said she didn't feel like going to TKD- I thought she was just tired from a busy week and swim lessons so I sent her for a nap. She got up from the nap and seemed fine. I went to go get ds from the bus stop and I come back and then both her and dd2 were sick on the couch with a fever. Ds helps me out cleaning since the girls couldn't and then next thing I know he's in the bathroom puking. Next dd3 complains she feels ill, I thought she just wanted medicine (anytime anyone is sick she says she sick b/c she loves medicine) but sure enough, she had a fever. I'm anxious to see how they all feel this morning. 

I've got nothing at all planned today and am very, very excited to stay home. Other than a walk it will be a rest day. Tomorrow I finish Stage 1 of Strong, woot!!!!!! I'm so excited. I'm loving these month-long stages that makes them very quick to get through and easy to stay motivated. It is also easier to build in times of recovery, which I skipped entirely for 4 months. We're testing out Tuesday (seeing how many we can do of the various exercises in this stage) then we're going to take it easy Thursday and I'm taking off ALL weekend.

[SarahCB]

16 hours ago, wintermom said:

I don't know that it's possible to finish a full marathon "strong." ? Most of the people at the finish line looked completely spent to me. I only ran 2 full marathons and though I was pretty happy with my times, i needed to put every last particle of energy I could find into finishing those races. I was completely satisfied with simply finishing the entire marathon.  I didn't have anything worse than sore muscles and recovering from wicked cramps (cramps I had to deal with from the 30 km mark to the finish), so in that sense it could be considered a strong finish. ?  Those last 12 km were the worst ever, but I didn't quit. That was the success for me. 

All the very best with your training and race!!

Well, that just gave me another reason to stick to the half-marathon distance. 

@soror That is weird with all the kids falling ill like that. I hope you can avoid it and that you enjoy your forced day at home. 

I completely forgot to go for my 6am group run yesterday morning! The movers had come the day before and didn't leave until 9pm. I think I was pretty frazzled, so I set my alarm for 7 so I could get the kids ready for exams and I went to sleep. I didn't even think about the run until about 7:30am. Luckily, my trainer has a group in the evening as well, so I just went with the evening group. I left early and did 20 minutes on my own before I met up with the group. We were doing stairs, so had a 15 minute run to the stairs and then ran back once we were done. 

I'm at the gym today. Only three more scheduled gym sessions before I leave. I am so sad to be leaving my trainer. 

Has anyone heard of this book? Practical Programming for Strength Training It was recommended by someone I follow online who really seems to know his stuff. I bought the Kindle version and plan to read it on my trip. 

[Soror]

19 minutes ago, SarahCB said:

Well, that just gave me another reason to stick to the half-marathon distance. 

@soror That is weird with all the kids falling ill like that. I hope you can avoid it and that you enjoy your forced day at home. 

I completely forgot to go for my 6am group run yesterday morning! The movers had come the day before and didn't leave until 9pm. I think I was pretty frazzled, so I set my alarm for 7 so I could get the kids ready for exams and I went to sleep. I didn't even think about the run until about 7:30am. Luckily, my trainer has a group in the evening as well, so I just went with the evening group. I left early and did 20 minutes on my own before I met up with the group. We were doing stairs, so had a 15 minute run to the stairs and then ran back once we were done. 

I'm at the gym today. Only three more scheduled gym sessions before I leave. I am so sad to be leaving my trainer. 

Has anyone heard of this book? Practical Programming for Strength Training It was recommended by someone I follow online who really seems to know his stuff. I bought the Kindle version and plan to read it on my trip. 

No, I've not heard of that particular book but I've certainly heard of Riptoe. He is supposed to be an expert. Looks like it has a lot of great info, from reading the info it looks like it might be set up to give you the info for you to set up your own program. The one I'm doing now is very specific plan to follow for 9 months. Depends on what your looking for, I was at the point I wanted a plan to follow that was explicit, no second-guessing. I had been doing my own thing taking this and that from different programs but was having a hard time focusing. But there are obvious pros to such a book, you can customize for yourself according to your wants and needs. Good luck figuring out your plan! I'm sure it will be very hard to leave your trainer. Are you going to try and find a new one in your new location or you just going out on your own?

[SarahCB]

15 minutes ago, soror said:

No, I've not heard of that particular book but I've certainly heard of Riptoe. He is supposed to be an expert. Looks like it has a lot of great info, from reading the info it looks like it might be set up to give you the info for you to set up your own program. The one I'm doing now is very specific plan to follow for 9 months. Depends on what your looking for, I was at the point I wanted a plan to follow that was explicit, no second-guessing. I had been doing my own thing taking this and that from different programs but was having a hard time focusing. But there are obvious pros to such a book, you can customize for yourself according to your wants and needs. Good luck figuring out your plan! I'm sure it will be very hard to leave your trainer. Are you going to try and find a new one in your new location or you just going out on your own?

My dh wants me to workout with him and try without a trainer for a while. Dh was very into weight lifting while in university and would like to get back into it. So I'll give it a shot with dh and see how that goes, but I really do need to figure out a program. I just know nothing at all. I'll read the book and hopefully learn a lot and then figure out if I want to try designing my own program according to that book or whether I want something more explicitly laid out for me. I'd love to understand the rationale behind how to progress at the gym.

[Kim in Appalachia]

Took most of this week off since I was in between stages for NRFL4W,  but I started stage 3 on Thursday.  The matrix that it has at the end of the A workout was really tough.  I could not do the entire thing.  It was 24 squats, 24 lunges, 24 jump lunges, then 24 jump squats.  I did the squats, then lunges.  When I got to the jump lunges my legs were jello, same with the jump squats. I cut those down to to 12.  The plan called for it to be done 2x, resting in between sets.  For the second set I did 12 of every thing.  Still tough, but doable.  I am a good sore today from yesterdays workout.  

I have so much school work to do, so no yoga today.  I plan to get to the gym tomorrow. 

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

@soror  Crossing my fingers that you are not next for the bug!  I hope your whole family is feeling better in 24 hours!  

Just got back from my long run for this week, 6.8m.  The distance feels easy enough, but I'm really feeling lost in terms of pace.  I think what is biomechanically efficient for me is faster than what I *should* be training at in terms of easy pace, so while I set out easy and slow, I naturally click into a slightly faster pace.  Then I have this internal argument with myself about long-term goals vs. what feels like a very smooth and natural run, and... I'm just a mess, with my pace jumping all over the place depending on if I'm watching pace/HR or zoned out and just running at a faster pace that feels easier despite what my HR tells me.  ?  Time for me to take another spin through 80/20 to re-motivate myself to run SLOWLY.  lol

I think Sunday it will be time for me to sit down with my planner and  map out the rest of my runs until Sept 8th half marathon.  I'm excited to be building my own plan!!!    

 

ETA:  Forgot to mention that I'm getting really inconsistent runs with my Altra shoes.  I love the concept of a zero drop but somewhat padded shoe, but I think the knit uppers are messing me up a bit or something.  I have very high arches and I've already got them in a larger size and have skipped a bunch of holes in lacing over my arch (standard for me and my shoes of any brand), but I just can't seem to consistently get the tension I need in the laces.  I'll have a run where I get them set up perfect, then the next run they'll be too tight or too loose or just ugh.  Shoes with a more structured upper didn't give me this problem.  Once I'd found the tension I wanted, they tended to just stay that way.  I'm hoping to go take a look at the Nike Free today, and I'm also tempted to try Newtons, but I'm not sure I'll find any locally to try out.  

[Soror]

23 hours ago, SarahCB said:

My dh wants me to workout with him and try without a trainer for a while. Dh was very into weight lifting while in university and would like to get back into it. So I'll give it a shot with dh and see how that goes, but I really do need to figure out a program. I just know nothing at all. I'll read the book and hopefully learn a lot and then figure out if I want to try designing my own program according to that book or whether I want something more explicitly laid out for me. I'd love to understand the rationale behind how to progress at the gym.

Oh, hope it goes well! 

18 hours ago, Kim in Appalachia said:

Took most of this week off since I was in between stages for NRFL4W,  but I started stage 3 on Thursday.  The matrix that it has at the end of the A workout was really tough.  I could not do the entire thing.  It was 24 squats, 24 lunges, 24 jump lunges, then 24 jump squats.  I did the squats, then lunges.  When I got to the jump lunges my legs were jello, same with the jump squats. I cut those down to to 12.  The plan called for it to be done 2x, resting in between sets.  For the second set I did 12 of every thing.  Still tough, but doable.  I am a good sore today from yesterdays workout.  

I have so much school work to do, so no yoga today.  I plan to get to the gym tomorrow. 

4

Wow that sounds brutal and a great challenge.

 

Yesterday was utterly blah here, not sure if I'm just tired from a long week or what but I just felt tired and HUNGRY. The kids are still recovering, their temps are nearly down to normal. I guess it is some weird virus. Getting ready to go get my lifting in, list workout for Stage 1. Woot! 

[Soror]

Workout done, was decent. Skipped intervals b/c I didn't want to, hmph. 

Working on bfast now- sausage, cheese, pepper, and onion omlette- protein- cubed- for the gainzzz!

[SarahCB]

1 hour ago, soror said:

Workout done, was decent. Skipped intervals b/c I didn't want to, hmph. 

Working on bfast now- sausage, cheese, pepper, and onion omlette- protein- cubed- for the gainzzz!

I want to have breakfast at your house! 

Today was my long run with my running group. 12.3km. It's funny how workouts can impact runs. Last week, I ran just over 18km and felt fantastic. Today my legs felt like cement - but, yesterday afternoon I was in the gym doing a bunch of leg stuff so I guess that's why. I had a heck of a time keeping up with the group and was so done by the time we reached the end. 

[wintermom]

7 hours ago, Monica_in_Switzerland said:

ETA:  Forgot to mention that I'm getting really inconsistent runs with my Altra shoes.  I love the concept of a zero drop but somewhat padded shoe, but I think the knit uppers are messing me up a bit or something.  I have very high arches and I've already got them in a larger size and have skipped a bunch of holes in lacing over my arch (standard for me and my shoes of any brand), but I just can't seem to consistently get the tension I need in the laces.  I'll have a run where I get them set up perfect, then the next run they'll be too tight or too loose or just ugh.  Shoes with a more structured upper didn't give me this problem.  Once I'd found the tension I wanted, they tended to just stay that way.  I'm hoping to go take a look at the Nike Free today, and I'm also tempted to try Newtons, but I'm not sure I'll find any locally to try out.  

Have you ever tried elastic laces? I had some issues with pain on the top of my foot, and elastic laces with a toggle were amazing for relieving the pressure and still keeping the shoe snug.  I was able to buy the laces at a local running store. I think I might need to get some for my tennis shoes, too.

[wintermom]

Tennis last night was fun. Dh and I played doubles with a group of friends. If the rain holds off tonight we'll play more doubles tennis this evening. We also have a mixed doubles match lined up for tomorrow with a father and daughter pair. We've played the father before, and he's a very strong player. I'm looking forward to it. "Stay away rain!"

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

44 minutes ago, wintermom said:

Have you ever tried elastic laces? I had some issues with pain on the top of my foot, and elastic laces with a toggle were amazing for relieving the pressure and still keeping the shoe snug.  I was able to buy the laces at a local running store. I think I might need to get some for my tennis shoes, too.

 

This is a really good idea.  I will see if I can find them at the shoe store Monday!  

[mamaraby]

@Monica_in_Switzerland - the eternal shoe issue. I’d agree that trying out the elastic laces seems like a good middle option if it enables you to keep running in the Altras. On a non-shoe related note, Greg McMillan was on the Running Rogue podcast recently and it was interesting to hear him talk about the development of his calculator and training approach. I have 80/20 on hold at the library right now. One day I think I might actually need to buy the book myself.

@SarahCB - isn’t that funny how it goes? Or things like temperature/humidity, how much sleep you got, etc. Or for seemingly no reason whatsoever. 

Ran on the treadmill on Friday and then just under 10miles outside with dh yesterday. On the one hand it feels like I should not have lost fitness over the last 5 weeks. On the other hand, everything right now feels way too hard for the effort. I bought new shoes online a couple of days ago since my current shoes are nearing the end of their life. I’m a little afraid that Nike is discontinuing my shoe since they haven’t released a new model yet and the stock of old models is tightening. I may have to stock uo and buy an additional two pairs so I can make it through race day before I have to tackle finding a new shoe.

The kids and I went on a slightly longer than 2 mile night hike on Friday which was wonderful. My kids are not always interested in going on hikes and have been rather...whiney when dh and I have taken them in the past. They seemed to enjoy so maybe we can take advantage of that this summer!

[wintermom]

Dh and I had a really good mixed doubles match with a father and daughter team. We're planning to play with them regularly now. I'm going to need some time to recover from this last match, though. I think we played for 2 straight hours of pretty fast paced rallies. 

[SarahCB]

2 hours ago, wintermom said:

Dh and I had a really good mixed doubles match with a father and daughter team. We're planning to play with them regularly now. I'm going to need some time to recover from this last match, though. I think we played for 2 straight hours of pretty fast paced rallies. 

Every time you talk about tennis it makes me with I had learned. Maybe I'll sign up for some tennis lessons when we move.

[wintermom]

4 hours ago, SarahCB said:

Every time you talk about tennis it makes me with I had learned. Maybe I'll sign up for some tennis lessons when we move.

It is a lot of fun! My sil is 55 and taking up the sport. She's just completed a set of group lessons and is continuing. I love the fact that it's a good physical and mental work-out, it's social, and you can play well into your 70s and 80s (usually only doubles tennis by then). 

[SarahCB]

Went out for what was supposed to be a 45 minute run this morning, but I somehow paused the Runkeeper app so I had no idea how long I'd gone or for how long. I was running a new route, too, so really didn't know how long it was. I ended up running 10km by the time I stopped - thankful for my Health app on my phone - at least it was keeping track! It was cool out again today so I was in a long sleeved shirt and long pants. People were out walking in winter hats and coats. I think it's going to be tough for me to go from this to running in much hotter weather. 

 

[wintermom]

7 minutes ago, SarahCB said:

I think it's going to be tough for me to go from this to running in much hotter weather. 

But the possibility to run all year without snow will be very nice, too!!  ?