Life After Marathons: A Running/barre3/Coffee/Life Journal

[TheHamm]

I'm kinda the opposite. I had a miserable first half, but I still loved the idea of running more. It's just recently that I started to have a problem with distance (and it's more the training than the races themselves), so I feel like it's the right time for me to retire.

At the end of the day ... running should be fun, and if it's not, it may be time to stop.

I agree with you, it should be fun but I have a hard time with the finality of 'stop' so addressing this as a reality seems hard to me. Sometimes I do ok with 'Pause" and that does seem easier to do in the dregs of grey, dreary, refrozen slush. So, it is a challenge for me this time of year to not also decide it is an appropriate time to hang up the shoes.
I am curious as to what is it about the idea of running more that is appealing to you, and is it past tense 'loved' and you are over it or if the idea is still there. While life might make it seem farther away than it was, you did recently spent quite a bit of time to complete A MARATHON.

 

[SarahDisney]

I agree with you, it should be fun but I have a hard time with the finality of 'stop' so addressing this as a reality seems hard to me. Sometimes I do ok with 'Pause" and that does seem easier to do in the dregs of grey, dreary, refrozen slush. So, it is a challenge for me this time of year to not also decide it is an appropriate time to hang up the shoes.
I am curious as to what is it about the idea of running more that is appealing to you, and is it past tense 'loved' and you are over it or if the idea is still there. While life might make it seem farther away than it was, you did recently spent quite a bit of time to complete A MARATHON.

I don't really understand your comment, so I'm sorry if this response is way off base.
I'm well aware of the time I spent training for the marathon. I'm especially aware of how much I hated it and how much it confirmed that my distance running days should be over. I used to enjoy running and now I don't, and without that passion, it's hard to dedicate so much time to training.

My response to "why do you run?" has always been because I started and now I'm too stubborn to stop. Well ... I'm done being stubborn.
I may still do some shorter runs after my retirement, maybe run a 5K or 10K or two, but no more getting up early 4-5 days every week to go out and run. Those days are almost over for me, and I'm pretty happy about that.

 

[TheHamm]

I don't really understand your comment, so I'm sorry if this response is way off base.
I'm well aware of the time I spent training for the marathon. I'm especially aware of how much I hated it and how much it confirmed that my distance running days should be over. I used to enjoy running and now I don't, and without that passion, it's hard to dedicate so much time to training.

My response to "why do you run?" has always been because I started and now I'm too stubborn to stop. Well ... I'm done being stubborn.
I may still do some shorter runs after my retirement, maybe run a 5K or 10K or two, but no more getting up early 4-5 days every week to go out and run. Those days are almost over for me, and I'm pretty happy about that.

Sorry, I should never post when sleepy and I should keep my disdain for current outdoor conditions that depress me to myself.
My point was supposed to be, stop if you do not enjoy it, but sometimes committing to the stopping is hard, because we are all stubborn. Also, that stopping can have limits and boundaries like "I do not enjoy central park's hills so I'm not doing that without a compelling reason" or "I'm done until X and then it will be taken up only on a trial basis." Or you may decide your passion comes from Barre3 or what ever other thing you decide is amazing to fill all of that time you do not need to use for long runs with.

Also, more coffee talk may be necessary. Is there space in the new apartment to make coffee? Is there a shop near the new apartment that you found to love, hate, or patronize on occasion?

 

[SarahDisney]

Sorry, I should never post when sleepy and I should keep my disdain for current outdoor conditions that depress me to myself.
My point was supposed to be, stop if you do not enjoy it, but sometimes committing to the stopping is hard, because we are all stubborn. Also, that stopping can have limits and boundaries like "I do not enjoy central park's hills so I'm not doing that without a compelling reason" or "I'm done until X and then it will be taken up only on a trial basis." Or you may decide your passion comes from Barre3 or what ever other thing you decide is amazing to fill all of that time you do not need to use for long runs with.

Gotcha. I agree with all of this. I'm definitely open to conditions on the stopping (like I said, I may still do some shorter runs), and I think that makes a lot of sense.
And I get the depressing outdoor conditions. I had to go out to my parents' for a few hours yesterday, and I was very close to just showing up early and running on the treadmill to avoid the outdoors. Winter running is particularly frustrating.

Also, more coffee talk may be necessary. Is there space in the new apartment to make coffee? Is there a shop near the new apartment that you found to love, hate, or patronize on occasion?

Excellent conversation topic! I brought my coffee maker from the house to the apartment and it has a nice dedicated spot on the counter. And we don't have very much counter space, so that shows how important it is.
There's a 7-eleven (bad coffee) a block away and few Starbucks and Dunkins (now that they're apparently not "Dunkin' Donuts" anymore) that I go to. One of the Dunkins is fully kosher and a few of the others have kosher donuts (but also sell non-kosher meat, which the kosher one does not), so I have donut options with my coffee too. I haven't found any specific coffee places nearby that I love, but I also haven't experimented much. There is a place I pass on the way to Whole Foods that I've been meaning to try.

Honestly, I probably should have wandered out to find new coffee today because I wanted iced and I haven't started cold brewing yet, but I just made instant iced. That was a bad move on my part. Maybe I'll go out for a second cup later and try somewhere new.

 

[SarahDisney]

Okay ... quick update/opinions needed.

First: I went to Birch Coffee today. Coffee was good, but expensive, and I felt like I had to tip. Seems like a good place to sit and work, though.

Second: I've been breaking and losing sunglasses like crazy (I may have mentioned that) and I'm down to one pair. I think I want a second pair. Mostly because I think I look like an idiot walking around in clear sunglasses with green lenses. Here's what I'm thinking:

#1 - Goodr Breakfast Run To Tiffany's

https://goodr.com/collections/the-runways/products/breakfast-run-to-tiffanys

#2 - Knockaround Black on Black Smoke Classics

https://knockaround.com/products/black-on-black-smoke-classics?variant=44106722835

The goodrs are nicer looking, but they're more expensive and I've never worn goodrs so I don't know if they'll fit (but I can go to JackRabbit and see if they'll let me try them on)
The knockarounds are cheaper and I know they'll fit, but they aren't the fanciest looking shades.
Thoughts?

Also ... hopefully next week there will be an early thoughts post for the NYC Half. We have to talk wardrobe. I have zero ideas. And I have to figure out when I want to show up (I'm in Wave 4). But we'll discuss that all next week.

 

[Jules76126]

I like the Goodr ones as I think they look fancier and I like fancy sunglasses. I also want a pair of goodrs, but haven't pulled the trigger yet.

 

[SarahDisney]

I like the Goodr ones as I think they look fancier and I like fancy sunglasses. I also want a pair of goodrs, but haven't pulled the trigger yet.

That's definitely why I like the goodr ones - I used to primarily wear my knockarounds for running because I had fancier sunglasses that I wore for everyday use ... but I broke those. The goodrs can definitely replace those in my wardrobe.
The price is what's holding me back - $35 is a lot for a pair of sunglasses (for me at least - I usually pay like $7 for the same pair of H&M glasses that I keep losing)

 

[run.minnie.miles]

If you're looking for a different every-day option, I ordered these from Amazon 6ish months ago and really like them. Depending on the color, they're $13-$15.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077W2QRRJ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

 

[TheHamm]

I am glad to hear counter space could be found for a coffee device, and you did not have to resort to keeping it in your bathroom.

I have the Goodr ones above, and I like them. I also have 'queen of pain' which has a purple metallic lens, which seems to have corroded in our recent rain, which has me very irritated and I would suggest against any of their models with a metallic finish. I did not have the problem with the more traditional Breakfast Run pair, which I have also used for everyday and running. Our JackRabbit store does not carry any of the cat eye shape ones, but the fit is the same with the standard, more square eye piece.
I am also a bad example as I misplaced them for nearly a month, hence me having a back up pair of slightly too expensive sun glasses.

 

[michigandergirl]

I think the Goodr's are perfect for a NYC gal! I have never tried knockarounds, but I have two pairs of Goodr's and I happy with them - I wear them for running and everyday activities.

 

[SarahDisney]

If you're looking for a different every-day option, I ordered these from Amazon 6ish months ago and really like them. Depending on the color, they're $13-$15.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077W2QRRJ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

I think I remember you mentioning getting these. They're pretty! Can you run in them too? Or do you just wear them for every day stuff?

I have the Goodr ones above, and I like them. I also have 'queen of pain' which has a purple metallic lens, which seems to have corroded in our recent rain, which has me very irritated and I would suggest against any of their models with a metallic finish. I did not have the problem with the more traditional Breakfast Run pair, which I have also used for everyday and running. Our JackRabbit store does not carry any of the cat eye shape ones, but the fit is the same with the standard, more square eye piece.

This is all good info! Thank you!
I know I've seen goodrs in at least one of the JackRabbits I go to (there are 3 that I visit on various occasions), but I don't remember if they had the cat eye ones or just the regular shape. But if the fit is the same, trying on the regular ones should help me figure out if I can wear these.

I am also a bad example as I misplaced them for nearly a month, hence me having a back up pair of slightly too expensive sun glasses.

Until about 3 weeks ago I had 3 pairs of sunglasses, so ... I'm not sure I'm allowed to comment on expensive backup sunglasses.

I think the Goodr's are perfect for a NYC gal! I have never tried knockarounds, but I have two pairs of Goodr's and I happy with them - I wear them for running and everyday activities.

Thanks! I used to be the opposite - I had two pairs of knockarounds and had never tried goodrs. Good to know that the Goodrs are good for running and everyday use!

 

[run.minnie.miles]

I think I remember you mentioning getting these. They're pretty! Can you run in them too? Or do you just wear them for every day stuff?

I always run in my knockarounds, so I have never run with these! Sorry!

 

[SarahDisney]

I always run in my knockarounds, so I have never run with these! Sorry!

Gotcha. Well they're still really nice for everyday wear. Definitely something to consider.

 

[SarahDisney]

Week in Review: February 25th-March 3rd​

Monday:
barre3 - with Lauren. Good class, but I’m a little angry at myself for not being able to do the full plank.

Tuesday:
Run - 2.95 miles, 35:32 minutes, 12:02 min/mi avg pace - I had to go back to Queens to pick up some mail (and sign my tax return), so I strongly debated just waiting until I got to the house and doing this on the treadmill, but I’m glad I ended up going out and doing it outside. Treadmill is not the same, and this was actually a pretty good run.

Wednesday:
Run - 4.02 miles, 48:45 minutes, 12:07 min/mi pace. Not sure that distance is fully accurate since the pace seems fast (it was definitely fast, even though it felt super easy, but I don’t think it was that fast). Wanted to run the Central Park part of the NYC Half but it would have been too much of a hassle, so I just did the last 0.1 miles or so. It was okay.
Wanted to run to barre3, but I got out of bed late. Had too much to do to be able to go to a later class

Thursday:
Run - 4.61 miles, 57:28 minutes, 12:38 min/mi pace. Two segments of 13:45 minutes (approx 1.3 mi) HM tempo were a drop slow (~10:35 & 10:50, when they’re supposed to be 10:20), but some of that may have been snow and/or GPS issues. Overall, I’m happy with this run. Even though I slipped and almost fell on the turnaround.

Friday:
barre3 - with Dino. I love Dino’s classes, but I sometimes feel like the odd man out because it seems like he’s friends with a lot of the regulars in his classes and I basically only say “hi” and “thank you” to him. So I may try to skip his classes for a few weeks and see if when I come back I feel a little less left out.

Saturday:
Rest day. Ate too much. Sigh.

Sunday:
Run - 4.24 miles, 47:43 minutes, 11:15 min/mi pace. Had some GPS issues, so these stats are probably not accurate.
barre3 - With Vicky! I got coffee before … it helped a little. Wasn’t feeling overly excited by this class, but it was okay. Whatever.

Upcoming:
Monday - 3ish miles Easy (will decide continuous or intervals day of). May delay this to Wednesday if the snow on the ground seems bad.
Tuesday - NYC Half Course Prep (Central Park) - bus/subway down to Columbus Circle, then run the part of the course that goes through Central Park - about 4ish miles Easy/LR
Wednesday - barre3? Rest day?
Thursday - Last Tempo Run! 3x1.33 mi w/ 0.5 mi RI
Friday - Taper Day 1! barre3 or rest day
Saturday - Rest day
Sunday - 6 miles … possibly Spring Fling 10K in Riverside Park. I kinda feel like doing a low-key race. Goal would be around 1:15 … plan to take it easy. I kinda just miss low-key races.
I’m also signed up for barre3 every day this week … will probably decide either the night before or morning of if I want to go. I've been a little meh my last few classes, so we'll see.

 

[SarahDisney]

United Airlines NYC Half - Early Plans​

With less than two weeks to race day, I figured it was time to start working on some early plans.

Getting There:
Oh Brooklyn. I’m in Wave 4 (Corral D), and my start time is 8:30. According to NYRR, I should plan to arrive at Prospect Park by 7:15. I’m in the last corral of my wave, so … I’m gonna plan to show up around 7:30.
According to Google Maps, the fastest way for me to get there is to take the 2 to the Q (switching at Times Square, which was how I used to commute to work, so I know that part of the commute well), which should take a little less than an hour. So I’ll probably leave around 6:30ish. And have a ton of time to kill once I get there. Oh joy.

Although … corrals don’t open until 8:10. If I don’t check a bag (which is very doable, since I no longer have the long commute home), I can leave closer to 7. Which means extra sleep (and maybe even allows me to go to my friend's birthday party the night before). So … hmm. Something to think about.


Outfit Options:
Rock The Dots
This would be a repeat of my marathon outfit (same shoes and everything), but with a black shirt underneath the “Run Like Minnie Mouse” shirt (spoiler alert: I’d be breaking my “no wearing another race’s shirt to a race” and wearing my 2016 10K shirt). As a reminder, here’s the marathon outfit:


A Skirt So Nice I’ll Wear It Twice
...aka the same skirt I wore last year. This time with a white shirt. Which, to be fair, was what I wore last year too … you just couldn’t see the white shirt with two layers on top of it.
Just because we all can’t get enough of it, here’s last year’s finish line photo:


Color Me Pink
Colorblock skirt, pinkish shirt. I don’t think I have a picture of the shirt (well I do, but it’s on the other computer), but here’s the skirt:

Rocket To The Finish
Black skirt, “To The Finish Line and Beyond” Raw Threads hoodie. No real relevance to the race, but I like the hoodie (and who doesn’t love Buzz Lightyear), and I’m running towards the finish line, so … it’s an idea.
I can’t find a picture of the hoodie online (and just folded mine, so I’m not taking it out to take a picture), but here’s the design on a different style shirt.


Anyways … I have no idea what I’m gonna wear. Right now I think I’m between #1 and #4, but the other two are also possibilities. Hmm.

Race Plan:
Primary Plan: Run the whole thing at HM Tempo pace, which is 10:20 (honestly, I’d probably end up going for 10:30-10:40 just because that’s around where I’ve been lately). If I can actually stick to this, it should net me a PR … but that’s not really the goal of this race, it’s just something that may or may not happen.
This is subject to change. I have my last tempo run on Thursday, and the 10K on Sunday. If either of those goes colossally badly (ie I can’t stick to tempo for more than a 1-2 miles or my effort/pace is waaaaay too all over the place on Sunday), I may end up deciding to go with my backup plan.

Backup Plan: If I decide that I don’t think running the whole thing at tempo will make for an enjoyable race, I’ll do 4+5+4.1 - 4 miles at Easy/LR, 5 miles at HM Tempo, and then finish off at Easy/LR … unless I’m feeling really good after the tempo portion, in which case I’ll just keep going at HM Tempo for as long as I still feel good.

Post-Race:
No idea. The race ends like a mile and a half from my apartment, so I’ll either walk home or take a bus (or possibly the train if it's actually running). After that I got no plans.

Post-Race Coffee: If I walk, I’ll probably stop somewhere on the way home. If I bus, I’ll probably just make coffee at home. I’m considering starting to cold brew (yes, I know it’s way earlier than usual, but I’ve been in the mood for cold brew a lot recently), so if I’ve started that, I’ll probably have iced coffee. I just need to get the stuff I need to cold brew. And a new iced coffee cup, since I didn’t end up buying one in Florida (so feel free to send along some links to your favorite Disney, Harry Potter, or otherwise really cute iced coffee cup ... I like the ones with straws). I actually almost bought the Mickey birthday one in January, so I may end up buying that online. We'll see.

 

[SarahDisney]

Also, I mentioned cold brewing above, but I wanted to add a bit more detail.
At home, the way I cold brew is I steep the grounds in water in a container in the fridge, then pour it through a coffee filter that sits in a mesh sieve on top of another container to get the concentrate. I've had great success with that method in the past and it didn't require buying anything new (I had the sieve, the filters, and the containers already).

All of my "equipment" is still at the house and I'm not bringing it to the apartment because my mom uses all of it for other things (well, not the coffee filters, but the coffee maker we have at the house right now uses those filters, so they stay for when one of us who uses the coffee maker is home). So I have to start from scratch here. I have one good container, but I need a second one to put the concentrate in (and I then have to store it somewhere, but I can store it in that same container if need be). We have some basket coffee filters left over from my roommate's old coffee maker (and the cone filters we use with my coffee maker). We don't seem to have the right size sieve. So I definitely need to buy some things. I can't decide if I want to buy a container and a sieve (both of which are useful just in general) or just make my life a drop easier and buy a cold brew pitcher that has a filter in it (if I'm understanding correctly, you put the grounds in the filter while it steeps and then just remove the filter and dispose of the grounds) - that's storage for steeping, filtering out the grounds, and storage for the concentrate all in one package. But it's also more expensive.

Making decisions is hard.

 

[TheHamm]

Also, I mentioned cold brewing above, but I wanted to add a bit more detail.
At home, the way I cold brew is I steep the grounds in water in a container in the fridge, then pour it through a coffee filter that sits in a mesh sieve on top of another container to get the concentrate. I've had great success with that method in the past and it didn't require buying anything new (I had the sieve, the filters, and the containers already).

All of my "equipment" is still at the house and I'm not bringing it to the apartment because my mom uses all of it for other things (well, not the coffee filters, but the coffee maker we have at the house right now uses those filters, so they stay for when one of us who uses the coffee maker is home). So I have to start from scratch here. I have one good container, but I need a second one to put the concentrate in (and I then have to store it somewhere, but I can store it in that same container if need be). We have some basket coffee filters left over from my roommate's old coffee maker (and the cone filters we use with my coffee maker). We don't seem to have the right size sieve. So I definitely need to buy some things. I can't decide if I want to buy a container and a sieve (both of which are useful just in general) or just make my life a drop easier and buy a cold brew pitcher that has a filter in it (if I'm understanding correctly, you put the grounds in the filter while it steeps and then just remove the filter and dispose of the grounds) - that's storage for steeping, filtering out the grounds, and storage for the concentrate all in one package. But it's also more expensive.

Making decisions is hard.

We had a cold brew contraption similar to what you mentioned above, but ended up giving it away. We have a small (and likely larger than yours) kitchen and decided one trick items were out and started to see what we could live without and that was one of the items. We used the french press for cold brew for a bit, but that was also super annoying to clean. We had a small strainer for other purposes so went back to something more similar to what you describe using at your parents because the parts were multifunctional and as we were going to have them anyhow it all took up less space, without a terrible sacrifice in quality. That said, I have a PhD in chemistry and really want a cold brew tower with glassware in its wooden because it is a thing of beauty.... but alas, I am sticking to basket filter, strainer over a bowl, and storing the brew in a glass milk jar until my kids move out and I have a space for pretty things.

 

[run.minnie.miles]

I find the best way to minimize the excess clutter (crap) in the kitchen, is to not buy things that only have 1 purpose. I would go the strainer/filter route. This is how I cold brew and can use the tools in multiple other ways too.

My kitchen has a ton of storage and when we updated it a few months ago, I went through all of my cabinets, got rid of stuff I never use, and now one of my cabinets is basically empty and it feels so good. Now if I just do this with my closet...

 

[Jules76126]

My current kitchen has terrible storage space. Like we have to store pan lids in a bin behind the couch. If something is not going to get used frequently - like at least once a week, I am not buying it. The only thing that is allowed to sit on our counters full time is the kitchen aid mixer. My feelings may change once we have more space, but I would go with the multipurpose option.

 

[SarahDisney]

We had a cold brew contraption similar to what you mentioned above, but ended up giving it away. We have a small (and likely larger than yours) kitchen and decided one trick items were out and started to see what we could live without and that was one of the items. We used the french press for cold brew for a bit, but that was also super annoying to clean. We had a small strainer for other purposes so went back to something more similar to what you describe using at your parents because the parts were multifunctional and as we were going to have them anyhow it all took up less space, without a terrible sacrifice in quality. That said, I have a PhD in chemistry and really want a cold brew tower with glassware in its wooden because it is a thing of beauty.... but alas, I am sticking to basket filter, strainer over a bowl, and storing the brew in a glass milk jar until my kids move out and I have a space for pretty things.

Yeah, your kitchen is definitely bigger than mine (although mine is of a decent size for a Manhattan apartment ... but it's still a Manhattan apartment kitchen). Thanks for the input - I totally get the cold brew contraption being something you can live without.

I find the best way to minimize the excess clutter (crap) in the kitchen, is to not buy things that only have 1 purpose. I would go the strainer/filter route. This is how I cold brew and can use the tools in multiple other ways too.

Thanks for the input!

My kitchen has a ton of storage and when we updated it a few months ago, I went through all of my cabinets, got rid of stuff I never use, and now one of my cabinets is basically empty and it feels so good. Now if I just do this with my closet...

See, if I had a cabinet that was basically empty, it would not stay that way for long ... I would buy more crap to fill it with.
Same with my closet ... I didn't bring that much clothing with me from the house (mostly winter stuff ... I'll have to start bringing spring/summer stuff soon, though ... hopefully), so I just keep buying new crap to fill up my closet.
I may have a clutter problem. But clutter sparks joy for me!
(Btw ... I've started Marie Kondo folding some of my clothing ... it's weird but also vaguely satisfying ... but that's entirely off topic).

My current kitchen has terrible storage space. Like we have to store pan lids in a bin behind the couch. If something is not going to get used frequently - like at least once a week, I am not buying it. The only thing that is allowed to sit on our counters full time is the kitchen aid mixer. My feelings may change once we have more space, but I would go with the multipurpose option.

I make cold brew in smaller batches, so I would use the pitcher once a week. And it would mostly live in the fridge. But multipurpose is probably still a good idea ... especially because I know exactly where I have space for the stuff I'd have to buy.
(We have a lot on our counters full-time - coffee maker (use every day), toaster oven (use somewhat frequently, since we use it as an oven a lot), dish drying rack (definitely use everyday, since we wash our dishes every day), spices/oil (we have a spice rack that we need to hang up, but the oils will stay since we use them) ... wow, now I know why it feels like we have no counter space).