Running Renaissance: Road to Paris 2024

[GollyGadget]

Base Training Week 1

I’m just beginning week 4 of my base training so I figured I better get an update put together to share how it’s going. I don’t have the time/energy for all 3 weeks so here’s a peak at week 1.

Overall it’s going really well and I’m enjoying it. I still look just as confused as Animal when I try a new strength move but I’m getting better and sticking with it. Read on for more details!

Week 1 Goals: 15 mpw + strength
I didn’t have any specific strength goals for week 1, just do something. The mileage was based on the idea that I could go for 5 runs of 3 miles each.

18 June - 2 miles + 5 min plank
Started the week a little behind because I was in Dubrovnik which is incredibly hilly and I didn’t want to blow up my legs. 500 ft ascent over those 2 miles. Insane.


19 June - Travel day, no workouts.

20 June - 3 Miles
In much flatter Sitges, Spain so went the whole 3. It was sunny and hot so I took it nice and slow.

21 June - 3 Miles + Lateral Strength
Another nice sunny run along the beach. We were conveniently staying right across the street and the beach trail ended 1.5 miles from our place. The strength workout literally kicked my butt. I could feel those muscles for daysssss.


22 June - Travel day, no workouts.

23 June - 3 Miles
I took myself on a lovely sightseeing tour in Barcelona. I did get a bit lost trying to get into the park I wanted to run because it was walled on the eastern side but I managed to find my way in and it was beautiful. I also ran through the Arc de Triomf because how could I not?


24 June - 3 Miles
It was incredibly warm and humid for this run so I was thankful for the clouds. I ran a similar route to the day before minus the getting lost bits. I stopped for a “character photo” but I have no idea why there’s an elephant statue in the park. There is a zoo nearby so maybe the two are related? I just thought it looked out of place so I had to stop


Week 1 Accomplishments: 14 miles + 2 strength sessions

 

[GollyGadget]

Base Training Week 2

Okay folks, let’s see what I remember about week 2

Week 2 Goals: 20 mpw + strength
Similar to week 1, no particular strength goals, just do something. Running goal was 5 runs of 4 miles for a total of 20.

26 June - travel day, no workouts

27 June - 4 miles + 5 min plank + 30 min bike
It felt great to be back home and running in temperatures in the 60s. Something terrifying happened on my run though. A bird landed on my ponytail! I haven’t trashed my head so hard in all my life. I’ve been attacked by too many birds to assume they have good (or even neutral) intent. We both managed to escape unscathed but I did have residual fear when I ran through the same area on my way home. I was tired from all the travel and time zone hopping but talked myself into a quick 5 min plank workout.

I’m riding in a 50 mile bike ride at the end of July and had done absolutely 0 training so after work I took my bike out for a short ride to get my body used to it. I hadn’t been on it for more than 10 min at a time all year but my body survived just fine and my butt wasn’t even sore. Padded shorts for the win!

28 June - Rest
Wednesday is the one day per week that I go into an office to work so I like to keep my rest days aligned.

29 June - 4 Miles
All of a sudden it was summer weather again and the air quality was really poor. I wasn’t about to run outside in that so I took the treadmill for a spin and it wasn’t nearly as bad as I feared. Not my favorite, but didn’t totally suck either. Kind of like bacon

30 June - 4 Miles
It was still hot but the aqi was better so I hit the trails. My goal for this run was to go as slow as necessary. Really surprised myself when my pace was 11min/mi. I definitely expected something 11:30+.

(Btw, hippos can run 19 mph so they are sneakily quite fast and probably my spirit animal)

1 July - 4 Miles + Yoga
There was a slight rain when I woke up but it was my birthday so I wasn’t going to let a little water ruin my plans! I took a nice run through the farmers market and up the river. Then I followed that up by riding my bike to my first ever yoga class. The rain intensified and I was absolutely soaked at the end but I still enjoyed it. I’m not sure if I’ll be back because I usually volunteer at the zoo on Saturday mornings but I won’t be nearly as scared to attend yoga in the future.

2 July - 4 Miles + Lateral Strength
It had been a long week and I felt sluggish this entire run but I got it done anyway. On the bright side, I tested out a new pair of running shorts that I got for my birthday (Janji 7” pace shorts). They worked wonderfully! No riding up at all thanks to their little silicone grippers and great pockets. I’d prefer a slightly shorter length, but I’ll definitely be on the lookout for a deal on these.


Also pictured is my new bike helmet. Turns out my other one was “expired“ and most definitely had a giant crack in the foam.

Apparently I also did my lateral strength workout since Nike Training Club has a record of it. I really don’t remember. It must not have hurt as much as the previous week. Progress

Week 2 Accomplishments: 20 miles + 2 strength sessions

 

[RuntheMouse]

Happy belated birthday!

YIKES on the bird attack! The only time in my very long life that I have experienced a bird attack was in WDM! It was a goose and nearly a decade later, they still terrify me. Birds are fearless there!

 

[nancipants]

Happy belated birthday!

I love those shorts! Glad to hear they worked well for you. They are on my Christmas list.

Also, your comment about bacon is just WRONG.

 

[azrivest]

18 June - 2 miles + 5 min plank
Started the week a little behind because I was in Dubrovnik which is incredibly hilly and I didn’t want to blow up my legs. 500 ft ascent over those 2 miles. Insane.

Is no going to acknowledge a 5 minute plank???

Dubrovnik is amazing

 

[GollyGadget]

The only time in my very long life that I have experienced a bird attack was in WDM! It was a goose

Thank you for the birthday wishes! I have not yet been attacked by a goose but I watched one take flight to attack a cyclist on the trail by my house so I imagine it’s only a matter of time.

Happy belated birthday!

I love those shorts! Glad to hear they worked well for you. They are on my Christmas list.

Also, your comment about bacon is just WRONG.

Thank you! I think I’m going to go buy another pair this weekend. They’re pricey compared to what I would normally buy but as my partner said “you think this running thing is something you’re going to keep doing?” Might as well be comfortable doing it!

Is no going to acknowledge a 5 minute plank???

Dubrovnik is amazing

I should have clarified. It’s a 5 min plank workout. So five total minutes, lots of rest breaks.

We did really enjoy Dubrovnik. Croatia has a lot of really old buildings that are still in use which was very cool to see. My calves were definitely sore after that one though.

 

[GollyGadget]

Base Training Week 3

With two weeks of running behind me, it was time to make a “plan.” What were my goals? How would I structure my weekly mileage? How many weeks did I have?

Including the 2 weeks completed, there were 11 weeks until marathon training officially began. I decided to keep with the 5mpw increase and include a few cut back weeks. As written right now, I’ll have two weeks at 40mpw and one at 45 .

As for what days of the week, I didn’t want to be as rigid with that. I’m trying to keep my Wednesday rest day but I’ll move it around my personal schedule. I also wanted to start with 5 days/week instead of 6 to give me a day to focus on my cycling. Not that I cycle really, but I am riding 50 miles at the end of the month so I need to get some seat time.

The other part of the plan was strength training. For that I did need some structure, but not too much. So I decided to commit to Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday but play it by ear on what I would do during that time.

Week 3 Goals: 25 mpw + 3x strength

3 July - Bike
It was a holiday so I had the entire day off work giving me plenty of time to fit in an hour bike ride. I’m not riding for time, but was surprised to not be sore at all. I was a little wobbly when I first got off my bike. Is that normal? It went away in a few minutes.

4 July - 5 Miles + Strength
Another holiday and seasonally warm so I did this run in the am. It was still incredibly warm but I survived. I did another round of 5 min plank, which most certainly is NOT 5 straight minutes of plank.

5 July - Rest

6 July - 4 Miles + Strength
I most definitely should not have waited until after work for this run but that was my own fault. Part of the reason I love this flexibility, could run a little shorter since it was so warm. Followed it up with a 360 strength workout that involved lots of twisting which kept it interesting.

7 July - 5 Miles
This run was much more enjoyable since I found some time in the AM. My glutes were a bit sore from the day before and I always take that as a good sign.

8 July - 7 Miles
I was feeling the drinks from the night before but with another concert on tap for Saturday, I figured I might as well get it done. It felt surprisingly good despite my condition and being my longest run in over a month.

9 July - 4 Miles + Strength
As predicted, this one was a bit of a slog but I managed to knock out the 4 remaining miles in my weekly goal. I also knocked out a standing strength workout which was just okay. I didn’t really feel like it worked my muscles very much at all.

Finally, because this is a lot of words, here’s a photo of Hattie living her best life.



Week 3 Accomplishments: 25 mpw + 3x strength

 

[GollyGadget]

Base Training Week 4

This week did not go as planned so I have to remind myself to just keep swimming. Fortunately, it’s low stakes at this point but I need to use the week to come up with a strategy for how to deal with these type of hurdles once training officially begins.

Blegh. That’s how I feel about the week but time to put my behind in my past.

Week 4 Goals: 30 mpw + 3x strength

10 July - 5.5 Miles
I started the week off strong. This run felt good and I even threw in some strides at the end.

11 July - 5 Miles + Lateral Training
I had a work conference Tuesday-Thursday so this run required me to run before that began. I am not a morning runner. It took me 3 miles just to wake up. I followed up the run with my lateral training and I actually did some of the bonus jumping moves and didn’t die

12 July - Rest

13 July - 4.5 Miles
This is where things started to go haywire . I was running short on time and only had time for 4.5 miles. No big deal at the moment, still plenty of time to get in the other miles. Unfortunately, I also completely forgot to do my strength workout later since I didn’t have the time after my run

14 July - Rest

15 July - 6 Miles
I should have known when the sun was red that it was going to be a bad day for running. Even when I could smell smoke, I didn’t put 2 + 2 together. The run actually felt fine even though it was on the warm side. It wasn’t until I returned home and could feel pain in my chest that I realized what I had done.

16 July
Uhh, yeah. This is where things really went off the deep end. I had planned to do a 9 mile long run but we still had a lot of smoke in the air. It was supposed to be clearer the following day so my initial plan was just to push it off. A bit of a spoiler, I decided to just turn the page and start a new week rather than trying to fit this in. I should have ran in the treadmill. Even if I didn’t get the whole 9, anything would have been better than nothing. Once again, the strength was missed simply because I forgot without the preceding run

Week 4 Accomplishments: 21 mpw + 1x strength

On the bright side, we did finally hang my race ears and they are looking fabulous. I even have a space for 2024!

 

[GollyGadget]

Base Training Week 5

I’m very happy to report that I successfully put my behind in my past and I’m back in the swing of things! When the week started, I wasn’t really sure of my plan. Obviously it would include more running but I wasn’t sure if I should continue forward as if I had completed 30 miles the week prior or take a step back. Ultimately, I decided I would just repeat the same goal as last week and try to move forward.

Week 5 Goals: 30 mpw + 3x strength

17 July - 4 miles
My plan was to go 6 miles but my chest started hurting after 3 so I headed home. The wildfire smoke had moved out so I was surprised but not willing to push it.

18 July - Strength
I went into the office on Tuesday so I took it as a running rest day but I wasn’t going to let that keep me from my strength training for a second week. I completed a 20 min glute + hip session that’s a real burner.

19 July - 6 miles
I decided to splurge and by myself another pair of janji shorts and they arrived along with a new pair of shoes so I took them both for a spin. I tried really hard to get a photo of them to share. Luckily there weren’t too many other people out to witness my antics. This is the best photo I could manage. Influencer is definitely not in my future


20 July - Strength
I was going to go into the office for a second time but instead took Hattie to the vet. She likely has arthritis even though she’s only 4 . Anyway, I did not run because of the schedule change but I did get my strength in once again! . This time I did a 10 min core workout and it was brutal. I honestly couldn’t even complete most of it. I did what I could and judging by my soreness for the next three days, that was still enough. It was a little demoralizing to not be able to do all of it, but I’m sure I’ll try it again since I most definitely did feel the burn.

21 July - 6 miles
My abs were incredibly sore and it was quite warm but I got it done. Looking at my hr, I probably went a bit too fast for the conditions. It didn’t feel taxing at all but I’m using it as a sign that I need to start doing some sort of speedwork and focus on EASY easy days.

22 July - 5 miles
We went out to watch the USWNT and Friday night fireworks so it was a late night. That combined with my zoo volunteer shift meant that I did not get my run done in the AM. It was very warm in the afternoon and I really didn’t feel like it but I knew I had to do something. I spent most of the run negotiating with myself how far I would go. Eventually, I decided to run to the ragbrai statue since I’ll be participating on Wednesday.


23 July - 8.5 miles + strength
I did my best to complete my run early but that only meant 8am and it was still very warm. By 9 am, the number of others out on the trail had definitely dropped. I did two 4ish mile loops which was great because I got to stop at my car to swap water bottles halfway through. The loop also provided more shade than my typical route (and more hills, but those are probably good for me). After lunch and a nap, I completed my strength training for the week. 10 minutes focused on legs & glutes.

Week 5 Accomplishments: 29.5 mpw + 3x strength

 

[KSellers88]

I LOVE those ear holders! So cute!

 

[GollyGadget]

I LOVE those ear holders! So cute!

Thanks! We had to modify some hat displays that my partner bought me but I’m very happy with how it turned out.

 

[GollyGadget]

Base Training Week 6

Like a lot of the USA, it was abnormally hot here this week. We had highs in the upper 90s and I was very happy to not be in serious training mode. I’d like to run the Chicago Marathon someday since it’s the only major in driving distance but training in the summer does not appeal to me. I’m perfectly happy taking all my training runs in July nice and slow.

Despite the weather being unfortunate, it did not impact my running. However, what did impact my running was the 50+ miles of biking on Wednesday. I’ll get into the details below, so keep reading

Week 6 Goals: 30 mpw + 3x strength + RAGBRAI

24 July - Rest

25 July - 6 miles + strength
I honestly don’t remember this run but garmin has record of it so it must have happened. I followed it up with a 10 min runners upper body workout. I did not want my legs to be sore for the bike riding so thought the upper body was the smart/safe choice.

26 July - RAGBRAI
Ragbrai stands for register’s annual great bicycle ride across Iowa and it takes a new route across the state every year. I have always wanted to participate but the logistics have made it difficult. Many will ride the full week but I don’t have that many spare vacation days so just went along for one day.
My mom came along for the journey and it was a hot one. Fortunately, we had @lookingforsunshine to teach us how to ride in a big group because I had no experience and they estimate there were 60k riders that day. I’m bad at garmin and missed the first half hour plus a few other miles when I forgot to unpause so I only tracked 45 miles but would guess that we rode about 10 more than that. I’m going to avoid a full recap for now but let me know if you’re interested and I’ll do a separate write up. The short version is that I had a lot of fun and hope to do it again next year.



27 July - Rest
At the start of the week, I planned to run on Thursday but my right knee was quite cranky and since I’m not training for anything I opted to err on the side of caution

28 July - Rest
See above

29 July - Rest
I could no longer feel any pain in my right knee but decided one more day of rest wouldn’t hurt.

30 July - 5 miles + strength
It was time to test out how I was feeling. The first mile went well but just before the end of the second mile I could feel some discomfort on my lower right side. I figured it could just be in my head so I kept going to the 3 mile turnaround point. Just after mile 4 I started to get a new pain in the back of my knee and decided I better take the short way home. I didn’t want to push myself too much but really wanted to get my strength in so I found a quick 5 min core wake-up routine. Something > nothing


Week 6 Accomplishments: 11 mpw + 2x strength + RAGBRAI

I didn’t meet my goal but I’m not mad about it. Turns out I should have planned some more recovery for the bike ride.

 

[lookingforsunshine]

Riding with you and your mom was so fun! One of my favorite days of RAGBRAI. Y'all rocked it.

 

[GollyGadget]

Base Training Week 7

This week has been busy and exhausting and I’m once again happy that I’m not in “training mode”. (Yet I’m also debating entering the lottery for Chicago next year which most definitely would have me training right now ). My partner is out of town so I’m currently the sole dog walker. They typically get 4 walks/day which isn’t too bad except that one of them happens after my bedtime so I’ve been staying up later. The real unfortunate part is that they feel like I need extra protecting and have been barking at any slightest noise or movement overnight and there has been absolutely zero quality sleep. Oh, and one of them has loose stool and has insisted on 2am walks the last two nights . Anyway, all should return to normal tomorrow and until then I’ll just keep on doing what I can.


At least they’re cute?

Week 7 Goals: 35 mpw + 3x strength

31 July - Rest
I meant to run this day and have my rest day on Wednesday. However, I totally forgot that I was signed up to volunteer at the AAU Junior Olympics and simply didn’t have the time in the afternoon. The volunteering was fun though. I had never watched a jump rope competition before.


1 Aug - 5 miles + Strength
It was typical august, hot and humid, but at least it was cloudy. My right hip started airing its grievances at mile 1 but I was able to keep going . I decided to do the 360 strength workout again because it involves a lot of hip movement. Wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad idea

Note: I struggled with right hip and knee pain about 18 months ago. My pt never had me stop running during this because it wasn’t an actual injury, just some muscle imbalances I needed to work through. The pain went away and I stopped doing my exercises . Now it’s back but fortunately I know what to do.

2 Aug - 4 miles + pt workout
I ran this in the am before going to the office. It was raining but my only other choice was the treadmill. No thanks. My hip was hurting right when I woke up so I knew it was time to start doing my pt exercises again. I felt 100% better afterward. The pain just melted away.


3 Aug - 6 miles + strength
Still August here and unfortunately my sweat made it look like I peed my pants. This is why I typically run in patterned or black bottoms but I really loved the blue and thought it could work for a retro Minnie look. Definitely rethinking that as I don’t need pee pants in my race photos. Anyway, after a stop at the library and grocery store in my soiled shorts , I completed a really quick intro strength workout and my pt exercises. Since I was only on day 2 of them, I didn’t want to totally wreck myself beforehand.

4 Aug - 5 miles
I had to get this one done in the am because I had more volunteering in the afternoon. My hip was hurting during dog walk which made me nervous but I didn’t notice it during my run at all . I was rushed for time and skipped pt with intentions of doing it later but later never came

5 Aug - Rest
Another day that I intended to run but I was completely wiped out. I got home late on Friday so was extra sleepy in the am and then didn’t have time between a couple of other commitments in the afternoon. I thought that I could at least sneak in 4 miles after dinner but obviously that didn’t happen.

6 Aug - 10 miles + strength
It rained off and on all day. It’s actually raining right now too. I tried to find a dry time but finally headed out the door and 3pm and it rained for the first 4 miles. When I left, my goal was just to do 9 miles but my route made it such that I was going to end up back home around 8.5 and I didn’t think I’d have the willpower to keep going so I took the long way home. I also foolishly didn’t carry my own water and at one point went off course towards park bathrooms to find water, circled the area with no luck, went back to the trail only to see the water fountain, and made my way back toward the bathrooms/water. I’m sure all walkers thought I had lost my marbles. It certainly felt like I had. Runner brain and dehydration do not do my mental function any favors.

Anyway, I successfully completed the run. My first double digit run in two months. I also did my pt and a 10 min core workout. I’m very proud of myself for this. I have a hard time getting back on track after derailments like Friday and I spent most of the day debating skipping. Very happy that I didn’t

Week 7 Accomplishments: 30 mpw + 3x strength A few miles short but still a very solid week.

 

[WillRunForPizza]

My partner is out of town so I’m currently the sole dog walker. They typically get 4 walks/day which isn’t too bad except that one of them happens after my bedtime so I’ve been staying up later. The real unfortunate part is that they feel like I need extra protecting and have been barking at any slightest noise or movement overnight and there has been absolutely zero quality sleep. Oh, and one of them has loose stool and has insisted on 2am walks the last two nights

I feel all of this pain Dogs are indeed lucky they're cute.

Still August here and unfortunately my sweat made it look like I peed my pants.

And this pain. I just don't care anymore (although race photo considerations are legit).

 

[GollyGadget]

I feel all of this pain Dogs are indeed lucky they're cute.


And this pain. I just don't care anymore (although race photo considerations are legit).

Cute and full of unconditional love.

I also don’t really care during my regular runs or even during my errands . I just don’t want them to ruin that castle photo! But hey, maybe it will just make the photo more interesting…

 

[GollyGadget]

1500 Miles Goal Update
The only quantifiable goal that I set for myself this year was to run 1500 miles. After running 1163 miles in 2017, I really fell off the bandwagon in 2018 with just under 600 miles. Then an injury in early 2019 left me with less than 300 miles for that year. In 2020, I was finally ready to get back into the swing of things but struggled with motivation and once again only recorded about 300 miles. Finally in 2021, I signed up for a 1000 mile challenge to hold me accountable and reached that goal on December 12. Eventually ending the year with 1079 miles. In 2022, I kept the same goal with the intent of breaking 1000 earlier than I had the previous year. It was a smashing success as I surpassed 1000 miles on November 6 while running the W&D half with my mom. I ended the year with 1325 miles.

That brings me to this year. I wanted something big & scary but also attainable. Just like 1000 miles was in 2021. Plus, round numbers are fun so 1500 it is. I’m happy to say that as of last week, I’m halfway to the goal! . (I meant to include this in my training recap but totally forgot.)

Obviously, this puts me about a month behind schedule if I was looking to evenly spread out the miles.


Fortunately, the goal never was a linear progression and training is going to ramp up next month. Looking at just my marathon training, I should get another 850+ miles. And that doesn’t even include any running from now until September 7. Obviously, the unexpected could happen and I’ll likely miss some of those miles but I’m still feeling very confident about reaching this big scary goal.

Even more exciting to me is the growth over the last few years. I’m running more miles more consistently and seeing the benefits. When I first got back into racing in 2021, I thought my pr days may be behind me. Fortunately, this year has exceeded expectations. Four different distance PRs on the year!


June and July are the only months that I ran less than the previous years. June was a planned rest period and July was ramping back up and ragbrai.

Let’s see what the rest of the year brings!

 

[GollyGadget]

Base Training Week 8

Not to spoil the whole post, but I did it! 40 miles in the books!!! it’s kind of insane to me. Previously I never would have ran 40 miles in a week unless it was part of training for a very specific race. Certainly not just training for training’s sake. You might say I’ve got my eyes on another big scary goal



That one will take a few years so let’s get back to the now.

Weekly Goal: 40 miles + 3 strength
7 Aug - 5.5 miles
I headed out the door on my typical route but decided against it and took a left turn to mix things up. I somehow managed to run across 4 different bridges and only 66 ft of ascent. It’s flat here y’all. My hip was acting up again so I made sure to do my pt exercises.

8 Aug - 5 miles + strength
This was the first time in recent memory that my legs were tired from the previous runs. No doubt a remnant of the 10 miler two days prior. I headed out on my normal route but then something weird happened and I subconsciously turned a new direction. I was listening to a podcast about being stuck in a rut and my brain must have decided to take action. Followed up the run with a 20 min glute & hip workout.

9 Aug - Rest

10 Aug - 6.5 miles + strength
Feeling well rested, I decided to go find a few hills. I'm very fortunate to have lots of lovely flat bike paths nearby but it's not doing me any favors. There's a local marathon in town in October which is known for being a lot hillier than it's half counterpart. Which really just means that it has a hill or two. Anyway, I headed toward the official route and managed to find 285 ft of climbing. My pace was a bit slower than usual but not too bad. Definitely going to find a way to keep this in my weekly rotation. Finished the day with a rotation training strength session. It focused on core and hips which fits my running needs perfectly.

11 Aug - 5.5 miles
It was a hot one . Even though I managed to get out before lunch, the feels like was 99 even though the temp was below 70. My heart rate was high the entire time. Is it fall yet? Followed up the run with my pt exercises.

12 Aug - 5.5 miles
It was hot again but not quite as humid. I really enjoyed all the wildflowers along my route. Much better than boring ol grass. My hip didn't bother me at all but my left foot started in on the fun. I'm really not interested in trading one niggle for another. once again, I followed the run with my pt exercises.


13 Aug - 12 miles + strength?
The weather had chances of rain all day and kept forecasting it to begin in 30 minutes. Finally around 9:15, I decided it was time to just get going. The radar didn't look like storms even if it did rain. I drove to a nearby park for 3 laps around the lake. This works out really well for swapping my water at my car. The highlight of the run was finding the goats. I didn't see them last time and was majorly bummed.


I tried dates for the first time as mid run fuel. They were okay. Thinking about salting them next time. I was hurting in the last few miles but kept going and seem to have recovered just fine. I guess tomorrow or Tuesday will be the real test. I'm on my way now to do my strength. Not sure what I'll pick... But I promise it will get done

Weekly Accomplishments: 40 miles + 3 strength

 

[nancipants]

GOATS!!!!!!!!!!

 

[GollyGadget]

GOATS!!!!!!!!!!

The park hired them to eat the brush. I think it's win/win/win. Win for the park, win for the goats, and a win for me