We're all out there chasing our better selves (FredtheDuck chases on)

Ugh, rough weeks with no time are rough. But ... it happens sometimes. You just have to move on.

But ... yay for a good T pace run! And yay for a new job! The lack of commute is a nice perk, but being excited about the work is even better. And ADR day coming up ... lots of exciting stuff.
 
I'm desperately trying to catch back up on journals!!

You know, I almost always hit that burn out phase in my training when I'm just SICK.OF.RUNNING. It usually passes, but they are tough times. Combine that with a sick kiddo and, yeah, you are probably going to miss runs. It really sounds like you did a good job though getting a lot in even with the challenges.

Congrats on the new job!!!
 
I’m having the hardest time deciding if I want to run my race next weekend blind or not. On the one hand, running by feel always seems smart. On the other hand, I totally feel like I’d underestimate myself and the watch would help set a (slightly uncomfortable) pace that I might be able to maintain even if I don’t believe it. But there’s the risk that my fitness isn’t where it should be and running to a Garmin-blared pace isn’t wise and risks a wall-hit or other tactics error. Ugh. Can’t decide. Would love thoughts/experience.
 


Monday Training Update (Week 17): Week Ending 5/13

This was the plan for the week:
M - 4.5 @ EA
Tu - 5 @ EB + strides
Th - 0.5 @ WU, 4 miles @ tempo, 0.5 @ CD
F - 4 @ EA
S - 5 @ EB

Missed Monday's run because we were on an early-morning cross-country flight. I could have used the shakeout from the 11 miler I did the Saturday before, but it is what it is.

Tuesday was outside. Tough to get up for because I was jet-lagged, but I was glad to be out. The weather was perfect. It's starting to get lighter earlier, too, which means that soon I won't have to wear my headlamp, and soon I'll also feel a little safer heading to the track (the track I run at is kind of secluded from the main road, so I get a little nervous running in the dark there). Anyways, this was a good run. Too fast for EB pace, but I kind of settled in to a comfortable pace early on and just stayed in that gear.

I started out Thursday's tempo run (last hard workout of this cycle!!!) feeling strong. I actually had to pull back a little on the first mile because I was going too fast and I'm getting too close to my race to blow faster speeds. Hit the pace to the second (10:58). But my second tempo mile suddenly started to feel like a bit of a struggle. That mile has some elevation, but it's not crazy and it's nothing I can't manage at my tempo pace. So I don't what was going on. I just felt like I had to work really hard in that mile. I ended up finishing that one about 10 seconds slower than I should have (11:08). But then I was fast on the last two miles and felt more OK. The elevation for some of that is downhill, but there was a solid uphill stretch, too. Paces were 10:31 and 10:20 for those two miles. It didn't help that I was listening to an AMR podcast where one of the coaches was railing against the use/overuse of technology on runs. All in all, a tough run, but knowing it was the last tough run between it and my race was a nice feeling at the end.

Friday's EA was comfortable. I did an old neighborhood route that I haven't done in a while. I just focused on not working too hard, just kind of going at a nice, slow, easy, low heart-rate pace. Perfect weather, beautiful sunrise. Good run.

Saturday was tough from a scheduling perspective. Original plan was to get it in before my daughter's gymnastics class, as I have been doing with most of my long runs. But, sadly, my grandmother fell ill last week and took a turn for the worst on Friday, so we had to put my dad (who lives with us) on a plane first thing Saturday morning. So I was up doing an airport run at 4:45 AM. I came home and wanted to sleep, and I figured it was just a 5-miler, so I could fit it in later that day. Well, later that day was busy. Anyways, long story short, I ended up getting the run in but I did it on my treadmill because later in the day was a 90 and humid and I didn't have it in me to knuckle through it. 10 minutes after I finished, I got the call letting me know that my grandmother had passed. All four of her kids were by her side, my dad made it with a few hours to spare.

Because my dad isn't here, we've had to change our morning routine a bit. It means I couldn't do this morning's run. I'm hoping to get it in this afternoon on the treadmill at work, but it's also my last week here and I have a lot to finish before I go, so the run is going to be a secondary priority if it has to be. If I can get out of here on time and the weather holds, maybe I'll be able to get some miles in near my daughter's daycare before I go to pick her up. Will just have to play it by ear. I have fewer conflicts at work the rest of the week, so I should be able to get those runs in somehow.
 
Race Planning

Just collecting my thoughts about this coming weekend's race:

- We're heading out Friday night. The hope is that I'll be out of work a little early since it's my last day here. We have to be in St. Michael's by 8:30 to get my packet.
- I'm in wave 4. I've written previously about their "dynamic bib assignments." I'm not fast enough to really care what wave I'm in, but I can imagine some people will be annoyed.
- Wave 4 is the final wave. It'll go at 7:30. The weather right now says mid-high 60s with a 40%+ chance for rain. So that'll be a slog.
- By about 10:00, when I'd expect to finish, the weather should be around 74, again with a decent chance of rain.
- I usually carry a water vest for runs longer than 10 miles. But the last run I did with my pack was really uncomfortable on my neck and shoulders. So I'm going to try just carrying tailwind in the bottles on my hip belt, then using water stations along the course as a supplement. I picked up more cliffbloks over the weekend, so that'll be my on-course fuel, as usual.

Three things I'm still trying to figure out:
- What am I going to wear for pants? I'll wear a tank for the top. Normally I'd wear shorts as a bottom. But I have a chafing situation that cropped up during my 11-miler and I'm a little nervous about that occurring again. But my capris are also sometimes uncomfortable on longer runs. I have a pair of north face running tights that I really like, but it'll be too hot for those. I'll have to give it some more thought.
- Am I going to run this blind? My shorter races have been blind, and I've enjoyed that. But I'm totally not convinced that I can do this race as fast as Coach thinks that I can. So maybe using my Garmin to find the pace and then adjusting the gears from there? I'm definitely nervous that I'll start slowly and stay slow because my brain might tell me that the pace is too much to sustain over 13.1. But my body can often do things my brain doesn't think it can. So maybe having the Garmin pacing to nag at me would help? I don't know. Maybe I need to just let my body figure out the pace and if I feel like there's enough in the tank in the last couple of miles, I'll turn it up. What do you guys do?
- What am I going to listen to? I didn't use headphones during my first (only only, so far) half, but I was running with @MoanasPapa. In fact, I usually don't race with headphones, but most of my races are 5-10k. This time, I'm not running with him, and 13.1 is a long time to be out there. So a podcast might be a welcome distraction. I loved the old Runner's World podcast but I'm out of episodes. I guess I'll see if there are any Human Race ones I haven't listened to? Any suggestions? I seem to gravitate towards ones where someone has overcome some circumstance or condition and has a great story to tell about it. I think I read that backpacker and/or outside mag has a series, so maybe I'll look that up.
 
Do you use Glide to help with chafing?

Also, I've not done any blind races and am scared to do that. I'm sure I would go too slow. :scared1:

13.1 in a race alone I would definitely want to listen to something. Music helps me when I'm starting to fatigue.
 


Do you use Glide to help with chafing?

Also, I've not done any blind races and am scared to do that. I'm sure I would go too slow. :scared1:

13.1 in a race alone I would definitely want to listen to something. Music helps me when I'm starting to fatigue.

Yeah, I do use Glide. Unfortunately, I forgot it when I was in California. That was bad enough, but to make matters worse, I did 6.5 or so of those 11 miles on the treadmill (dark and unfamiliar area with no sidewalks, so I was on the hotel treadmill until it got light enough for me to see). So I was super sweaty (as were my shorts) by the time I got outside. That plus no body glide made for a really rough last couple of miles.

When you race, do you preset your "goal pace" on your Garmin? Or do you run and just check in every so often to make sure you're on pace? Sorry, that might be a dumb question because I know you run intervals and I'm not sure how Garmin programming works for that.

Will definitely keep something music-related in the back pocket. I find that listening to music during most runs makes me go too fast, so I try to stick to podcasts. Maybe during the late stages of a race, though, music might actually help sustain a pace. Decisions...
 
Yeah, I do use Glide. Unfortunately, I forgot it when I was in California. That was bad enough, but to make matters worse, I did 6.5 or so of those 11 miles on the treadmill (dark and unfamiliar area with no sidewalks, so I was on the hotel treadmill until it got light enough for me to see). So I was super sweaty (as were my shorts) by the time I got outside. That plus no body glide made for a really rough last couple of miles.

When you race, do you preset your "goal pace" on your Garmin? Or do you run and just check in every so often to make sure you're on pace? Sorry, that might be a dumb question because I know you run intervals and I'm not sure how Garmin programming works for that.

Will definitely keep something music-related in the back pocket. I find that listening to music during most runs makes me go too fast, so I try to stick to podcasts. Maybe during the late stages of a race, though, music might actually help sustain a pace. Decisions...

I don't preset anything on Garmin. Not sure how to do it and too lazy to figure it out! I mostly just check to make sure I'm on pace. It's nice running with Chris because he will keep his watch on current pace (which helps us during our run intervals to be sure we are where we need to be) and then I keep mine on overall pace, so between those two, we usually know if we are in the right spot.
 
- What am I going to wear for pants? I'll wear a tank for the top. Normally I'd wear shorts as a bottom. But I have a chafing situation that cropped up during my 11-miler and I'm a little nervous about that occurring again. But my capris are also sometimes uncomfortable on longer runs. I have a pair of north face running tights that I really like, but it'll be too hot for those. I'll have to give it some more thought.

Sounds like the chafing issue was because of no Glide. Have you had many chafing issues when using it? Because if not, then with those temps it would seem shorts would be the better option.

- Am I going to run this blind? My shorter races have been blind, and I've enjoyed that. But I'm totally not convinced that I can do this race as fast as Coach thinks that I can. So maybe using my Garmin to find the pace and then adjusting the gears from there? I'm definitely nervous that I'll start slowly and stay slow because my brain might tell me that the pace is too much to sustain over 13.1. But my body can often do things my brain doesn't think it can. So maybe having the Garmin pacing to nag at me would help? I don't know. Maybe I need to just let my body figure out the pace and if I feel like there's enough in the tank in the last couple of miles, I'll turn it up. What do you guys do?

So what does your brain think you can run this in? Do you feel as if you've been hitting the scheduled runs on pace for the last several weeks?

You know me. Personally, I find it much more enjoyable to race blind. But to be fair, most of my daily training is mostly blind as well. I only did small checks here and there. I do look at mile splits, but there isn't a ton of adjusting my effort. After all these years, I know what it's suppose to feel like. That gives me maximum flexibility on race day to roll with the punches. Because I don't go into race day with a set pacing schedule, and when things are harder because of things out of my control I'm not attempting to run a pace that'll crush me. Maybe sometimes I leave a little out on the table, and maybe sometimes my effort is spot on. But not having that pace feedback is nice for me mentally mid-race. I guess you have to decide how you like to race best and then just trust yourself.
 
So sorry to hear about your grandmother.

In terms of running blind ...
I run mostly blind. Because most of my races have been run/walk, and you can't do intervals and virtual pacer at the same time on the Garmin I have (not sure if you can do it on some of the other models), I only know my pace when I look down at my watch, which I try not to do too often (and even when I do continuous running, I don't always set the virtual pacer because the beeping gets on my nerves sometimes). Personally, I have a tendency to go out too fast, so I have to remind myself to take it slow, and if I'm struggling with that, looking at my pace more often helps remind me to not go so fast. I'm guessing the reverse works too - if you're worried about going too slow, having your watch remind you that you should be going faster will help keep you at the most appropriate pace. (And I know coach's pace predictions seem fast sometimes, but they're pretty good.)
I've also done the "start slow and speed up if I feel good" thing and it worked out okay for me, so if that's really what you're most comfortable with, go for that, and it definitely could get you to your goal.

I can't help with the podcasts since I listen to music when I run and the only podcasts I listen to are DIS Unplugged and tech podcasts.
 
Sounds like the chafing issue was because of no Glide. Have you had many chafing issues when using it? Because if not, then with those temps it would seem shorts would be the better option.

I think you and @ZellyB are right. I'll be fine in shorts, I just need to remember to pack the Glide this time.

So what does your brain think you can run this in? Do you feel as if you've been hitting the scheduled runs on pace for the last several weeks?

My brain doesn't think I can run any faster than I did my first one in. That's the problem. It's just a confidence issue. I'm happy because at least this time, I know I can cover the distance, whereas for my first one I was terrified of a DNF or a sweep. So there's some progress on the confidence front. To your question about pacing, I've been fine on paces, no issues to note. So in that sense, I have all the evidence I need, I just have to trust myself and the process.

These are my favorite race shorts: https://oldnavy.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=1031044&pcid=1031032&vid=1&pid=203111012
Then I don't have to worry about chafing on my thighs no matter what. They have some that are shorter with a pocket too.

Thanks for the rec, I'll check these out!

Podcast suggestions: Ali on the Run, Diz Runs Radio, and Another Mother Runner.

Thanks! I'm having a hard time getting in to AMR for some reason, but I'll check out Ali on the Run and Diz Runs Radio this week!

So sorry to hear about your grandmother.

Thanks, Sarah. She was a strong, loving woman that was the glue that held that side of my family together. She'll be deeply missed.

In terms of running blind ...

Thanks for your thoughts on this. I see it both ways, too. I've typically been running blind but for shorter distances (5-10k) and I enjoy it. But @DopeyBadger brought up a good point in his post, and that's that he trains blind and has years and years of experience. I typically don't train blind, and don't have a ton of experience. I suck at pacing (like you, usually fast at the start), so the Garmin has been a big help. I think I'm going to wear the Garmin but not set any kind of pace alerts. I'll check it a few times in the first mile (once I find a pace I can lock in pretty steadily) to get on pace, then try to limit checking to the mile markers. We'll see how that works.
 
I'm having a hard time getting in to AMR for some reason
That one can be hit or miss to me. Sometimes their intros about what is going on in their lives can be SO LONG. Like can you just have this conversation about your daughter's swim meet with your friend OFF record?
 
That one can be hit or miss to me. Sometimes their intros about what is going on in their lives can be SO LONG. Like can you just have this conversation about your daughter's swim meet with your friend OFF record?


THIS. the last one I listened to had like 20 mins dedicated to clothes shopping for their kids. Come on.
 
RACE DAY PREP UPDATE
I suppose first thing's first: There's a legit chance I might not run this race. There are thunderstorms in the forecast all day, including in the morning. I'm mentally preparing for the chance of a cancelled, postponed, or course-shortened race. There's nothing on their website about weather policy other than that the race is rain or shin and that they don't have to give us our money back if the race is cancelled for any reason. So I wrote to them to get more specifics about when decisions will be made and how runners will be notified. I have to also admit that there's a tiny part of me considering a DNS. Not because I'm not ready/willing to race, but just because there are a lot of ifs around the weather and we're already super busy (tomorrow is my last day at work, I fly to Atlanta Sunday for onsite training at my new company on Monday, AND we have a baseball game to go to here in DC Saturday night if the weather allows), so to spend $200 to go to the Eastern Shore and stay overnight for a race that is cancelled or shortened is a risk proposition I'm really thinking about right now. Also @MoanasPapa suffered a minor injury several weeks ago that set him too far back in his training to race, so it's just me. He and my daughter were going to spectate, which was going to be great, but if it's going to be pouring, that will be miserable for them. Anyways, I think the part of me that would fear deciding to DNS on a race that DOES go ahead as planned will end up winning and I'll probably make the trip. But this is the first time I've considered a DNS so I thought it was worth noting.

Ok, so assuming I DO go to the race and it DOES go ahead as planned, what's the plan? Well, as I said, tomorrow is my last day at my current company. I should be done in the early afternoon, after which I'll drive home and meet up with @MoanasPapa. We'll pack up my gear (more below) and then get our daughter from daycare and make the 2-ish hour drive to St. Michael's. We'll pick up my bib/packet and check in to our hotel, which is close to the start of the race. Then we'll find a place to eat, wander around, and head back to the hotel to hang out/head to bed.

I'm in wave 4 for the race, which is the final wave. My wave should go at 7:30. I'll get up, have a quick bite to eat (bagel or toast), get dressed, and head to the start line. My plan right now is just to walk there, but I'll figure out if that's realistic once we get to the town the race is in. I talked to Coach earlier this week about strategy, and with T+D in the 120s (62+62 at the start and 64+64 around my projected finish), plus 100% chance of rain, I'm going to have to take a more conservative pace than planned. I'm aiming for around 10:59, maybe a hair slower, for the first couple of miles. Once I find my groove, I'll tick up to around 10:46 until I hit mile 11 or so, then I'll give whatever I have left. I'm still hoping to finish under 2:25, which is close to that +/- 5 minutes of his predicted finish time that I have as my goal for this race. My plan is to check my Garmin a few times in the first mile because I want to find the right tempo and settle in to it, then try to limit checking to mile markers. I might just bring a sticker with me if I feel like the checking is getting in to my head too much.

In terms of gear: I'm wearing my favorite nike shorts (with Glide this time!), my favorite brooks running bra, and an underarmour singlet that does a good job wicking. I'm also going to wear my Brooks Run Happy hat to keep the rain out of my face. Balega socks, and the current pair of NB 1400v5s (I wear this model shoe for every race). I've mentioned in the past that my hydration pack gave me some neck/back pain the last long run that I did with it, and I'm not in the mood to deal with that again. So I'm going to carry my Nathan hip belt that I usually wear for shorter runs. Both bottles will be full of Tailwind, and I'll bring clifbloks for fuel, too. This will be the first time I use the water stations at a race for water (I used the water pack I don't want to deal with during my last HM), so I'll report back on how clumsy/awkward I am going through those.

I guess that's it for now. I wish I was more excited for this race. I think between the fact that DH is injured and not running, the weather, and the other stuff we have going on, it seems more like an item on a to do list than a victory lap. I hope to report back with a happier outlook after the race.
 
In terms of gear: I'm wearing my favorite nike shorts (with Glide this time!), my favorite brooks running bra, and an underarmour singlet that does a good job wicking. I'm also going to wear my Brooks Run Happy hat to keep the rain out of my face. Balega socks, and the current pair of NB 1400v5s (I wear this model shoe for every race). I've mentioned in the past that my hydration pack gave me some neck/back pain the last long run that I did with it, and I'm not in the mood to deal with that again. So I'm going to carry my Nathan hip belt that I usually wear for shorter runs. Both bottles will be full of Tailwind, and I'll bring clifbloks for fuel, too. This will be the first time I use the water stations at a race for water (I used the water pack I don't want to deal with during my last HM), so I'll report back on how clumsy/awkward I am going through those.

When I did the Dark Side Half last month, it was the first time I used the water stations and I was running with a friend who's very familiar with it. His tip was, if you're taking the water from a volunteer, to make eye contact and point so that it's clear to both the volunteer and any runners/walkers around you who you're going for. It's also easier to drink from the cups if you squeeze them into a point at the top and take smaller sips. (I still can't do this while running, only walking.)

Good luck on both the weather conditions and on enjoying the race!
 
When I did the Dark Side Half last month, it was the first time I used the water stations and I was running with a friend who's very familiar with it. His tip was, if you're taking the water from a volunteer, to make eye contact and point so that it's clear to both the volunteer and any runners/walkers around you who you're going for. It's also easier to drink from the cups if you squeeze them into a point at the top and take smaller sips. (I still can't do this while running, only walking.)

Helpful advice, thank you for taking the time to write!

Good luck on both the weather conditions and on enjoying the race!

Appreciate it, thanks!
 
I should have DNSd this race. We’ve been on the road for three hours and have an hour and a half to go. It should have only taken 2.5 to get there. At this point I’ll be lucky to make bib pickup and we were supposed to be there in plenty of time to feed my kid dinner somewhere and will now be arriving promptly at her bed time. Can’t stop to eat on the way either because we need to make bib pick up.

All to run a race in pouring rain that might still be cancelled.

This sucks.
 
Well crap. That's incredibly frustrating. I'm sorry that this trip has gotten all screwed up like this. Hopefully things will get better (or at least less stressful) once you finally get there.
 

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