Keep Moving Forward: A Training Log (Comments Welcome)

[lhermiston]

Best advice I can give you is to:

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Work on the mental game now of "letting it go". A marathon is a long distance and many things will be thrown at you during the race. It's important to figure out now what your motivations will be to continue pushing forward when it gets tough. I'm a strong believer in the Psychobiological Model of Endurance with it's basis in the Motivational Intensity Theory. Keep the motivation high and you will succeed. So what motivates you?

I’m competitive, so I think my biggest motivator right now is a desire to PR this race.

 

[lhermiston]

Otherwise, I like the sense of achievement. It still feels like huge accomplishment to do 26.2, regardless of my time.

 

[DopeyBadger]

And what happens when you see a bad split or a slight fade? How can you maintain motivation in the face of your strongest motivator being hit?

 

[lhermiston]

And what happens when you see a bad split or a slight fade? How can you maintain motivation in the face of your strongest motivator being hit?

That’s when I tend to overcompensate, I think. Generally speaking, I work harder.

 

[DopeyBadger]

That’s when I tend to overcompensate, I think. Generally speaking, I work harder.

The key to your marathon experience will be keeping a positive mindset when you see a split or set of splits that could be discouraging to a PR performance. As the race comes closer to an end, it will absolutely get harder. But the critical point will be when you start to question the race or the motivation for continuing at the current effort level. That will define whether you can hit the number I KNOW you can hit. Relax and attack!

 

[lhermiston]

The key to your marathon experience will be keeping a positive mindset when you see a split or set of splits that could be discouraging to a PR performance. As the race comes closer to an end, it will absolutely get harder. But the critical point will be when you start to question the race or the motivation for continuing at the current effort level. That will define whether you can hit the number I KNOW you can hit. Relax and attack!

You got it!

Thanks for the pep talk.

 

[lhermiston]

It's Friday, Friday, gotta get down on Friday.

Marathon in T-minus 29 days. But, we've been over that. Today, it was time for an EA (9:47/mile) run. The sun was shining, there was just a little breeze and I got to run in shorts! The last few weeks have been such a tease, weather-wsie, and the next week isn't looking much better. I'm holding out hope real spring weather will be here soon. I'd love to get a few weeks of training in the 60s in. And 40-45 degrees on race morning wouldn't be so bad, either.

Anyway, my splits today ranged from 9:24 to 9:45 per mile. All close to or within range. It was a decent run. Ten miles tomorrow and another 10 on Sunday. Bring it on. Gotta clear some space for a legendary Easter brunch.

Today's Distance: 6 miles
Avg. Pace: 9:37/mile
Time: 57:41

 

[lhermiston]

So, I spent the morning swinging a sledgehammer and cranking on a crowbar to bring down this 25+ year old playhouse that's been in our backyard since we bought our home 3.5 years ago. It was worn down and home to wasps and needed to go.

Why am I telling you this? Because it's not really the best warmup for a 10-mile run. I was a little sore this afternoon, but nothing that seriously hampered my run.

Today's workout called for a blind run of 10 miles @ EB (9:06/mile). Because of the aforementioned de-construction work, I didn't get out until this afternoon, which is a bummer because it was around 55 late this morning and about 45 and dropping by this afternoon. Tomorrow looks even worse. Will spring ever come to the Midwest or are we going from winter to blazing hot summer?

Anyway, I wasn't checking my pace throughout the run, focusing more just on being consistent and being mindful of how I felt. The run FELT good. Even with temps dropping, I was comfortable and felt like I had a nice, steady pace going.

Looking at my splits, I was definitely a shade on the fast side. Times ranged from 8:42 (mile 9) to 9:06 (mile 10) with most miles in the mid-8:40s to mid-8:50s. So, maybe instead of a fast EB run, it was just kind of a slow Long Run....um, run?

Tomorrow I'm back at it with another 10 miles, this time at Long Run. Given today's run. It shouldn't be much of a stretch. Mostly, I'm just looking forward to clearing up some space for a totally bodacious brunch tomorrow. More on that on Sunday, I imagine.

Sidebar, only because I'm hungry and haven't eaten dinner: has anyone following this thread eaten at Boma? I'm totally obsessing over mixing up our ADRs a little bit for the marathon weekend vacation (we're going for 8 days, I think) and I want to try some new stuff. Boma looks AMAZING. I've never been to AKL and I don't have a sense of how "out of the way" it is from the other parks. We already have our Animal Kingdom dining planned (Yak & Yeti and Flame Tree), but I'm feeling *really* tempted to try to snag an ADR for Boma. Any feedback would be much appreciated, gang!

Today's Distance: 10 miles
Avg. Pace: 8:52
Time: 1:29:06

 

[SheHulk]

So, I spent the morning swinging a sledgehammer and cranking on a crowbar to bring down this 25+ year old playhouse that's been in our backyard since we bought our home 3.5 years ago. It was worn down and home to wasps and needed to go.

Why am I telling you this? Because it's not really the best warmup for a 10-mile run. I was a little sore this afternoon, but nothing that seriously hampered my run.

Today's workout called for a blind run of 10 miles @ EB (9:06/mile). Because of the aforementioned de-construction work, I didn't get out until this afternoon, which is a bummer because it was around 55 late this morning and about 45 and dropping by this afternoon. Tomorrow looks even worse. Will spring ever come to the Midwest or are we going from winter to blazing hot summer?

Anyway, I wasn't checking my pace throughout the run, focusing more just on being consistent and being mindful of how I felt. The run FELT good. Even with temps dropping, I was comfortable and felt like I had a nice, steady pace going.

Looking at my splits, I was definitely a shade on the fast side. Times ranged from 8:42 (mile 9) to 9:06 (mile 10) with most miles in the mid-8:40s to mid-8:50s. So, maybe instead of a fast EB run, it was just kind of a slow Long Run....um, run?

Tomorrow I'm back at it with another 10 miles, this time at Long Run. Given today's run. It shouldn't be much of a stretch. Mostly, I'm just looking forward to clearing up some space for a totally bodacious brunch tomorrow. More on that on Sunday, I imagine.

Sidebar, only because I'm hungry and haven't eaten dinner: has anyone following this thread eaten at Boma? I'm totally obsessing over mixing up our ADRs a little bit for the marathon weekend vacation (we're going for 8 days, I think) and I want to try some new stuff. Boma looks AMAZING. I've never been to AKL and I don't have a sense of how "out of the way" it is from the other parks. We already have our Animal Kingdom dining planned (Yak & Yeti and Flame Tree), but I'm feeling *really* tempted to try to snag an ADR for Boma. Any feedback would be much appreciated, gang!

Today's Distance: 10 miles
Avg. Pace: 8:52
Time: 1:29:06

I ate at Boma 2 nights before my first WDW Marathon a few years ago and let’s say I’m glad it was 2 nights before and not the night before. I have never been so physically uncomfortable from overeating in my life. I thought I might have to go to the hospital because my stomach might actually burst. Not sexy. Suffice it to say I thought it was good lol. I took carb loading too seriously.

I did it right this past January and ate there the Sunday night once my marathon was complete. I can’t possibly overeat after a marathon just because I can’t force myself to cram it in and even if I did I earned it! DH and I both like it, it’s a nice combo of “exotic” food and stuff Americans eat.

It is kind of out of the way but I think AKL is a nice destination on its own so it’s worth it to me.

 

[lhermiston]

I ate at Boma 2 nights before my first WDW Marathon a few years ago and let’s say I’m glad it was 2 nights before and not the night before. I have never been so physically uncomfortable from overeating in my life. I thought I might have to go to the hospital because my stomach might actually burst. Not sexy. Suffice it to say I thought it was good lol. I took carb loading too seriously.

I did it right this past January and ate there the Sunday night once my marathon was complete. I can’t possibly overeat after a marathon just because I can’t force myself to cram it in and even if I did I earned it! DH and I both like it, it’s a nice combo of “exotic” food and stuff Americans eat.

It is kind of out of the way but I think AKL is a nice destination on its own so it’s worth it to me.

Thanks for the feedback! I definitely think I could fall into that overeating trap, so I'd probably try to set it up for early in the trip before the races or the day after the marathon. Ohana is my go-to post-marathon meal.

 

[Kerry1957]

I love Boma and have eaten there a half dozen times. Other than the carving station, my favorite thing is the soups.

 

[lhermiston]

Another 10 miles this morning. Day 913 of Never-ending Winter. Seriously, it was 22 degrees this morning at the start of my run. It's just obnoxious at this point. I hope we get an actual spring and don't go from 20s, 30s and 40s to 80s.

Anyway, I sought to get an early start today. One, because the marathon is in four weeks and I want to start replicating those early runs. Two, we had brunch reservations with my family at 10:30 so I had to have the run done before then.

I got up around 6:45 and made half a bagel with cream cheese. I can't remember now, but I might have knocked back a little bit of Gatorade, too. By 8 a.m., I was out the door.

Today's pace was Long Run (8:46/mile) and I think I stuck to it pretty closely. My splits ranged from 8:32 to 8:48. Physically, I felt pretty good for the most part. Right knee was a little achy the first couple miles, but that cleared up. My legs felt a little tired the last couple miles, but not enough to be a hindrance. Mentally, I wasn't really thinking about much, just trying to hit my paces.

After the run, we went out for an epic brunch. I seriously had four plates. I was stuffed by the end, but it's the one time of year that I truly pig out like that.

Today's Distance: 10 miles
Avg. Pace: 8:39/mile
Time: 1:26:32
Miles This Week: 38.5
Year To Date: 437

 

[lhermiston]

So, I kicked off what figures to be my most intensive week of training before the marathon with an 11-mile run, nine miles of which were tempo (8:05/mile).

After a nice and easy warm up, I went into tempo pace. The first mile was too fast - 7:31, but I settled down after that and hit 8:08 with the next mile. The next seven miles ranged from 7:51 to 8:15, all close to or within range. The last tempo mile was not as great - 8:38 - but it was a climb most of the time and to be honest, I was pretty beat by the end.

Physically, while I was able to maintain the pace, I didn't feel 100%. My right knee, shin and foot all bothered me a different points throughout the run with my knee giving me the biggest issues. Nothing incredibly painful, but my knee felt tight throughout and the tightness got worse as the miles went on. Post-run, everything feels fine. I'll keep an eye on it over my next to EA runs.

Anyway, all in all, it was a perfectly fine run. 39 more miles to go this week. 25 days until the race.

Today's Distance: 11 miles
Avg. Pace: 8:16/mile
Time: 1:31:02

 

[lhermiston]

Six miles @ EA (9:47/mile) tonight. Not much to report. The whole thing was a little on the fast side, but it "felt" easy and nothing hurt too bad, so I'd say the run was mostly a success. Off day tomorrow.

Today's Distance: 6 miles
Avg. Pace: 9:26/mile
Time: 56:41

 

[lhermiston]

Door HDR by Lee Hermiston, on Flickr

 

[lhermiston]

So, I kicked off today which promises to be an interesting weekend. Friday, Saturday, Sunday - 33 miles total and we're supposed to get snow on Sunday. Awesome.

Starting off easy this afternoon with a 6-mile EA (9:47/mile) run. Not much to report tonight except the wind was brutal at the beginning and it was chilly. I'm hoping the next two runs are better, but that's probably unlikely at this point. April weather is awesome.

Today's Distance: 6 miles
Avg. Pace: 9:42/mile
Time: 58:17

 

[cavepig]

Spring is lost in Space somewhere! I so hear you on this weather, like come on already! We had snow yesterday, 15 degrees this morning, snow tomorrow (not a ton but still annoying)! Farmers were trying to prep the fields in the snow yesterday, first time I've ever seen that! Good job on your runs!

 

[lhermiston]

Spring is lost in Space somewhere! I so hear you on this weather, like come on already! We had snow yesterday, 15 degrees this morning, snow tomorrow (not a ton but still annoying)! Farmers were trying to prep the fields in the snow yesterday, first time I've ever seen that! Good job on your runs!

Thanks! 16 degrees here when I left for this morning’s run. Tomorrow I’ll try to get started before the snow comes.

 

[lhermiston]

I got up this morning and the tundra beckoned me. Would I answer the call? You betcha!

Ten miles @ EB (9:06/mile) this morning. It was 16 degrees when I got started. I knew it'd be warmer later, but 1.) I'm trying to replicate race conditions as much as possible and 2.) I wanted to put some time between today's run and tomorrow's 17 miles.

While it was cold, the wind wasn't nearly as bad as yesterday and I was appropriately bundled up. So, that wasn't too bad. My knee was a little tight during the first couple miles, but that feeling faded and I don't recall it hampering me down the stretch. So, that was good.

Ten miles is feeling like a pretty easy distance these days. I've got a pretty good route that mixes in some hills and limits the time spent waiting at traffic lights. All in all, it was a pretty easy, breezy run.

Looking at my splits, I was a *little* erratic, but not too much. Fastest mile was 8:49 and my slowest was 9:06. Almost everything was within range. So, that's good.

I'm going to get up first thing tomorrow and get 17 miles in before the snow comes. Looking forward to it (the run, that is, this snow is getting old).

Today's Distance: 10 miles
Avg. Pace: 8:58/mile
Time: 1:29:42

 

[lhermiston]

Today was the big day, the longest training run before the marathon in three weeks - 17 miles at LR (8:46/mile). Mother Nature smiled upon me and kept the snow at bay. It was probably about 24 degrees when I started, not too bad with appropriate layers.

I got out of bed and planned to have a full bagel before my run. I found out we were out of bagels, so I had to settle for a package of fudge pop tarts. My youngest decided she's like pop tarts, too, and was not dissuaded when I told her I had the last package. So, I shared with her. Not really much of a pre-run breakfast. I had maybe 8 oz or so of PowerAde, too.

I planned to be out the door by 8, but of course there's always something to take care of, so it was more like 8:20.

The entire run was a little on the fast end. Not by a lot. I just got into a groove that was close to my prescribed pace and it was kind of hard to get out of it, plus it felt about right, so I rolled with it. Fastest split was 8:16 (mile 8), but that was with a 133 foot decline. Slowest mile was 8:57 (Mile 17) which came with a 47 foot climb.

Full disclosure, I probably walked about 40 feet of Mile 17, which included a short flight of stairs. I was a little gassed by that point, but I think I finished strong. Got a little lightheaded during Mile 16 - I don't think I got enough water throughout the run, to be honest. That shouldn't be an issue during the marathon. That's also almost the exact point that I felt lightheaded during the Disney marathon, but I attributed that more to too much sugar and caffeine.

All in all, I think this was a solid run. Like I said I was feeling a little gassed at the end, but I ran 16 miles the two days before this and I think being a little tired is to be expected. I'll be running half that much the days leading up to the marathon.

Today's Distance: 17 miles
Avg. Pace: 8:36/mile
Time: 2:26:16
Miles This Week: 50 (PR)
Year To Date: 487