Becoming a Better Sarah ~ 2015 Journal (The End)

[SarahDisney]

I stumbled across your journal the other day while home sick from work and just finished reading through. I wanted to tell you that I find your commitment to be very inspiring. I am one of those who sets all kinds of goals and when I don't achieve them I give up and then start again sometimes months later. I started taking body measurements and have pulled back on some of my goals and have found success with both.

I definitely get what you're saying about setting goals and then giving up - I've done that quite a few times, and this journal has really helped me stay accountable.
I'm glad to hear that you're finding success with the body measurements and pulling back on your goals!

My daughter so went to pts for her knee and then later for her hip. Her therapist said that a lot of females have issues with their knees due to weak hamstrings and quads because of the way we are built. She did a ton of core work for her hips and quad and hamstring work for her knee and as long as she keeps up on it she is pain free.

Interesting that this is a common thing with females. I've also found that if I do my exercises I'm okay, but if I go too long without doing my knee exercises, it starts to hurt again.

I feel your pain on giving up cheese, I am such a cheese junkie!!! Giving up cheese is like parting with a friend.

Exactly. I love cheese, and cutting back on it has been sad. I definitely could never cut it out permanently (I've tried and failed) because it's just so good!

 

[SarahDisney]

Turkey Trot Blues
​

WARNING: Slightly whiny post ahead (I have my whiny moments ... generally when I'm tired, cranky, and/or undercaffeinated)

So ... guys ... try to talk me back into doing the Turkey Trot on Thursday.

I was all gung-ho about it, planning to go into the city on Monday for packet pickup, and then spending the next few days trying to figure out what to wear (no costume because I just couldn't spend the $70 for the Raw Threads shirt I wanted, but I do want to wear something that I won't be embarrassed to be seen in). I already knew what I wanted to bring with me for post-race breakfast (an Uncrustable), and I was going to use Sunday's 5-mile run to help me figure out a nutrition strategy.

Original plan was to take the subway to the race on Thursday, but my dad said he'll drive me. Which seems like a nice gesture, except that I think I would rather take the subway. Besides the fact that the race recommends taking public transit (there's no parking), I don't think I'll want to deal with talking to my dad before the race (he's a big car talker, and I feel like I won't want to talk a lot before the race). Plus, I'll be worried about him finding parking and what he's going to do while I'm running (grading papers is always an option, but I don't know if he'd want to watch or something, which would be weird for me). And then after the race, I'd feel like I had to get back to the car quickly so that we could get back home, whereas if I was taking the subway, I'd probably spend some time walking around as a cool down and then stretching before slowly making my way back to the subway, checking my phone to see if there's an open Starbucks nearby (probably not on Thanksgiving morning, but I'd check).
And it's not like its that early of a race. If it was a 7 or 8 am race and I'd have to leave before the sun came up, I'd understand why they don't want me to take the train. But the races starts at 9, which means I don't have to leave until 7 (the earliest ... 7:30 if I want to take the LIRR). So taking the subway is not a big deal.

Of course, I can't tell my dad that I'd rather take the subway because in my house that's a mortal insult. I do understand that my dad is just trying to be helpful, and I appreciate that, but ... I wish I could say "no thank you" without insulting my family, and the fact that I know that I can't makes this a much harder situation.

Anyway ... now that there's minor drama, I'm not excited for the race and don't really want to do it. I probably should, though ... right?

 

[Ariel484]

First of all - did you see that Raw Threads is having a sale? It ends today.

Not sure what to tell you about the Turkey Trot...I think it's a shame that you seem to really want to do the race, but that the transportation issue is making you re-think things. If it were me I guess I'd be honest and just say that, while offering to drive you is really nice, you want to make a morning of it and feel bad that your dad would have to entertain himself, find parking, etc. And that you think you'll be nervous, so you might want a little time to yourself. But maybe mostly spin it as not wanting to inconvenience your dad?

Something like that?

 

[SarahDisney]

First of all - did you see that Raw Threads is having a sale? It ends today.

Technically it ends at 8 AM tomorrow ...
But I'm on the mother of all budgets right now and I need to save up for some stuff for my runDisney costumes, so I'm hoping for a better sale on Black Friday. It's killing me not to buy anything, though.

Not sure what to tell you about the Turkey Trot...I think it's a shame that you seem to really want to do the race, but that the transportation issue is making you re-think things. If it were me I guess I'd be honest and just say that, while offering to drive you is really nice, you want to make a morning of it and feel bad that your dad would have to entertain himself, find parking, etc. And that you think you'll be nervous, so you might want a little time to yourself. But maybe mostly spin it as not wanting to inconvenience your dad?

Something like that?

Not sure if that'll work (I'm guessing that the answer to "I don't want to inconvenience you" would be "then get a drivers license" ... my father doesn't always understand that its easier to take the subway sometimes), but it may be worth a try. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[LSUlakes]

Turkey Trot Blues
​

WARNING: Slightly whiny post ahead (I have my whiny moments ... generally when I'm tired, cranky, and/or undercaffeinated)

So ... guys ... try to talk me back into doing the Turkey Trot on Thursday.

I was all gung-ho about it, planning to go into the city on Monday for packet pickup, and then spending the next few days trying to figure out what to wear (no costume because I just couldn't spend the $70 for the Raw Threads shirt I wanted, but I do want to wear something that I won't be embarrassed to be seen in). I already knew what I wanted to bring with me for post-race breakfast (an Uncrustable), and I was going to use Sunday's 5-mile run to help me figure out a nutrition strategy.

Original plan was to take the subway to the race on Thursday, but my dad said he'll drive me. Which seems like a nice gesture, except that I think I would rather take the subway. Besides the fact that the race recommends taking public transit (there's no parking), I don't think I'll want to deal with talking to my dad before the race (he's a big car talker, and I feel like I won't want to talk a lot before the race). Plus, I'll be worried about him finding parking and what he's going to do while I'm running (grading papers is always an option, but I don't know if he'd want to watch or something, which would be weird for me). And then after the race, I'd feel like I had to get back to the car quickly so that we could get back home, whereas if I was taking the subway, I'd probably spend some time walking around as a cool down and then stretching before slowly making my way back to the subway, checking my phone to see if there's an open Starbucks nearby (probably not on Thanksgiving morning, but I'd check).
And it's not like its that early of a race. If it was a 7 or 8 am race and I'd have to leave before the sun came up, I'd understand why they don't want me to take the train. But the races starts at 9, which means I don't have to leave until 7 (the earliest ... 7:30 if I want to take the LIRR). So taking the subway is not a big deal.

Of course, I can't tell my dad that I'd rather take the subway because in my house that's a mortal insult. I do understand that my dad is just trying to be helpful, and I appreciate that, but ... I wish I could say "no thank you" without insulting my family, and the fact that I know that I can't makes this a much harder situation.

Anyway ... now that there's minor drama, I'm not excited for the race and don't really want to do it. I probably should, though ... right?

It sounds like your dad is trying to support you. Sure it's complicating the logistics of the day for you, but you only have one dad, and they are only here for so long. Having him to talk to should help take your mind off of the race and help you relax instead of building up anxiety. It should also help, if you explain to him that after race you have a routine to cool down/stretch and would also like to grab a coffee before heading home. Let him know it could be another hour or so post race before heading home. Invite him of course to have a coffee with you, maybe something amazing could happen. I think as long as you are upfront about your plans, and he still wants to go with you, then everything should work out alright. Good luck with the Turkey Trot and let us know how it goes!

 

[SarahDisney]

It sounds like your dad is trying to support you. Sure it's complicating the logistics of the day for you, but you only have one dad, and they are only here for so long. Having him to talk to should help take your mind off of the race and help you relax instead of building up anxiety. It should also help, if you explain to him that after race you have a routine to cool down/stretch and would also like to grab a coffee before heading home. Let him know it could be another hour or so post race before heading home. Invite him of course to have a coffee with you, maybe something amazing could happen. I think as long as you are upfront about your plans, and he still wants to go with you, then everything should work out alright. Good luck with the Turkey Trot and let us know how it goes!

I don't know that I'd agree that he's necessarily trying to support me ... I think it's a little more complicated than that. He has made it known at times that he doesn't particularly approve of my running.
But you make a good point about being upfront about my plans. I think that he's probably approaching this from the perspective of what he liked to do after a race - he may not have wanted to stick around after a race. But if I tell him that I'll probably want to stick around for a while and he may be waiting there for a long time, then if he insists on driving me, at least he's forewarned.
Thanks for the advice! If I do the race, I will definitely be back here later on Friday or Saturday to report how it went!

 

[NJlauren]

Soooo I'm not sure which race your doing but, coming from LI (lirr made me assume that) can you see if the parade route affects getting there by car? Then maybe say something like hey dad the parade is going to kill us getting there on time, do you think it would be easier if I took the subway? Probably not but hey thought I would throw it out there....

Either way I'm sorry your bummed about the race now but I hope you end up doing it because you will feel great after the accomplishment.

 

[SarahDisney]

Soooo I'm not sure which race your doing but, coming from LI (lirr made me assume that) can you see if the parade route affects getting there by car? Then maybe say something like hey dad the parade is going to kill us getting there on time, do you think it would be easier if I took the subway? Probably not but hey thought I would throw it out there....

The race is in Prospect Park (Brooklyn), and I'm coming in from Queens (little known fact: LIRR is the fastest way to get from some parts of Queens to some parts of Brooklyn ... it makes no sense at all, but I learned that when I was in grad school in Brooklyn and taking the LIRR cut 30 minutes off my commute). But I should probably mention the possibility of Thanksgiving-related traffic issues to my dad ... with traffic, it might be faster for me to take the subway. Thanks for the reminder.

Either way I'm sorry your bummed about the race now but I hope you end up doing it because you will feel great after the accomplishment.

Thanks!

 

[NJlauren]

The race is in Prospect Park (Brooklyn), and I'm coming in from Queens (little known fact: LIRR is the fastest way to get from some parts of Queens to some parts of Brooklyn ... it makes no sense at all, but I learned that when I was in grad school in Brooklyn and taking the LIRR cut 30 minutes off my commute). But I should probably mention the possibility of Thanksgiving-related traffic issues to my dad ... with traffic, it might be faster for me to take the subway. Thanks for the reminder.

Good luck! Yeah I have heard the LIRR to Brooklyn is good people take it at work all the time (I'm downtown)! I hope it all works out

 

[SarahDisney]

Progress Update: 11/16 – 11/22​

Monday 11/16: Not the best day eating-wise, but I did get in a 22 minute Cardio Kickboxing video. And, not only did I change into (mostly) workout clothes … but I put on sneakers! I never put on sneakers to work out in the comfort of my own bedroom!

Tuesday 11/17: I’m sitting here at 10:15 Tuesday night trying to figure out what to say. What a day. I got a good run in this morning, but things went a bit downhill from there. I didn’t eat well, I didn’t get a lot of things from my to-do list done (and that includes my knee exercises), and it was just a generally discouraging day. After being fairly productive despite having to field emails all day yesterday, today was really a bit of a letdown and I’m pretty frustrated about it. I know I have time to stay up and get things done, but I’d really rather go to sleep.
Run Recap: 3.12 miles in 35:00 minutes (11’13” pace) – I did this run with 6:00/0:30 intervals, and while it was doable, I was definitely suffering a bit at the end, and I really need to work on not going out so strong, especially if I don’t have a minute-long recovery walk interval a few minutes later. Oh, and I shaved a second off my 5K time! (I think it was actually a little less than a second, but either way, I’ll take it!)

Wednesday 11/18: Today went a little better than yesterday, but I was also busy late into the day – I finished (much of) my to-do list around 10 and still hadn’t gotten to my exercise yet. I ended up doing some low intensity exercises while watching the Disney Parks Blog livestream of the Osborne Lights (which was kinda shvach … I did not hear any TSO songs, despite the blog saying that they used “Sarajevo” (which I can only assume is shorthand for “Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24”) … I’m wondering if I missed part of the livestream). I am a little disappointed that I didn’t have any time for sewing, though, because I really do want to finish this Dumbo skirt sooner rather than later.

Thursday 11/19: First alarm to out of the house for my meeting was 4 hours. That included 25 minutes of snooze button, taking things slow when I got home from my run, and doing my hair (I blow dried & ironed – so that’s extra time). However, I did end up behind schedule for the day, and after doing some sewing, I decided to reschedule knee exercises for first thing Friday morning and reschedule Friday’s cross training for Saturday. So Friday will be knee exercises/rest, and Saturday will be knee exercises early and cross training later in the day.
Run Recap: 3.98 miles in 46:01 minutes (11’34” pace) –This was my weekly consistency run. Probably not the best of ideas because I thought I’d be distracted (11 AM meeting in the city), but it turns out I was able to run okay … just maybe not with any consistency. The good news is that I was consistently inconsistent … each run interval had fast and slow moments. Usually I’m much faster at the beginning and slower at the end, but this run I had slow moments at the beginning and fast moments at the end. Maybe that’s a step in the right direction.

Friday 11/20: As mentioned, today was knee exercises in the morning and then rest. Weigh-in was up again … I’ve been doing something wrong the past few weeks, and I need to get a handle on it. Other than that … nothing doing.

Saturday 11/21: I woke up with some pain in my back and knee, but after a few minutes of stretching, I felt much better. I think this morning I discovered a good 7ish minute morning stretching routine for myself, which is good. I did my knee exercises and stretches after lunch before my nap, and then proceeded to somehow break my glasses while reading (I’m wearing my other pair now, but I prefer the broken ones, so I’m a little sad, especially because I don’t think they’re fixable). Cross training was Pilates done before my TV watching (I tend to use Saturday night to catch up on the TV I missed during the week) and was okay, but not great.

Sunday 11/22: Nothing too exciting going on today. I did get a lot of sewing done, which was good, but I also snacked a lot, which was bad.
Run Recap: 5.35 miles in 1:02:00 hours (11’35” pace) – I was using this as a test run of sorts for my potential Turkey Trot. A few weeks ago I had decent success on a 5-mile run without eating anything before the run, and just taking a few mini nutrition breaks during the run. This time I think it was the wrong call – I was getting hungry and low energy pretty early, and even though I managed to make it through the whole run on only 2 jelly beans, I think I would have been better off eating something before the run. I’m thinking that half a pack of Sport Beans might be a good idea for next time.

General Comments:
1 – As mentioned above, I did a lot of screwing around with workouts late in the week. I was busy and I let it get to me. I really shouldn’t do that … I need to find a way to make my daily workout just as important as everything else on my to-do list (although there were plenty of things on my to-do list this week that didn’t get to-done).
2 – I did pretty good with the cheese this week! I had leftover pizza for lunch on Tuesday and dinner on Thursday, but no cheese since. Definitely a big improvement for me. Sunday lunch I had pasta, and while I could have very easily turned that into mac & cheese, I decided that I was much better off throwing in some veggies (which, granted, I could have done with mac and cheese too) and pouring on a little dressing. So definitely a good cheese week!
3 – Still trying to figure out the Turkey Trot situation. I love my family, but they can be very stressful sometimes. Plan is to go into the city for packet pickup this afternoon and make the decision tomorrow … although I am leaning towards doing it, and just dealing with my father being cranky if I have to. After all, coffee was invented to help me deal with cranky family members.

And now, on to this coming week...

Turkey Trot is on Thursday, and then Sunday I start my modified version of the runDisney/Galloway 10K training plan. More on that in December, but I won’t be have any runs longer than 6.5 miles or so for the rest of the year. It’ll be weird to run shorter distances, but I think it’s a good idea for me to focus on the January races for the month of December and worry about longer runs once I get through these two races.

 

[roxymama]

This is going to sound like an insane suggestion, but do you think your dad would be interested in walking the turkey trot (do they have a walk option or shorter distance option?) I have no idea of health or anything like that so that is why you can completely dump this idea in the garbage if you want to and I won't be offended. I have a dad with bad knees so I know he would only ever spectate.
If he would want to walk it, you would finish first and could stretch and get coffee etc. Totally dumb idea if he's not into that at all...just throwing it out there.

 

[SarahDisney]

This is going to sound like an insane suggestion, but do you think your dad would be interested in walking the turkey trot (do they have a walk option or shorter distance option?) I have no idea of health or anything like that so that is why you can completely dump this idea in the garbage if you want to and I won't be offended. I have a dad with bad knees so I know he would only ever spectate.
If he would want to walk it, you would finish first and could stretch and get coffee etc. Totally dumb idea if he's not into that at all...just throwing it out there.

Thanks for the idea, but ... the race is actually sold out, with no same-day registration available.
Also, I'm pretty sure that he can't walk that far anymore. Unfortunately, he's had some foot problems over the past few years and the long distances are very hard for him. So spectating (or grading papers in the car) is his only option.
But that's a really good suggestion for if I do a shorter race ... I don't know that he'd do it, but maybe he would be interested in walking a 5K.

 

[NJlauren]

Just checking in to see if you ran the race today !

 

[SarahDisney]

Just checking in to see if you ran the race today !

I did! It went okay. My time was great, but I was struggling the whole time.
I'm in the middle of writing a really long recap, which I'll post either later tonight or early tomorrow.

 

[SarahDisney]

Race Recap: Prospect Park Track Club Turkey Trot
​

The Details:
Race Date: Thursday, November 26, 2015 (Thanksgiving Day)
Race Start: 9:00 AM
Race Location: Prospect Park, Brooklyn, NY
Race Length: 5 Miles

Before The Race:
Registration: Based on a little research and some input from my awesome supporters/readers, I choose this race because it was a 5 mile race that could serve as a good “stepping stone” before my 10K in January. My biggest hesitation was that it was in Brooklyn (I’m Queens born-and-bred and Manhattan at heart, so to me Brooklyn is a place that shouldn’t exist), but I decided to just get over the existence of Brooklyn for a day.
Registration opened a few months ago, and I registered in mid-October. The race sold out about a month in advance, which is the earliest that it has ever sold out. My sister had considered registering, but with her injury, she wanted to wait, and it sold out before she was ready to make a decision (which is a good thing, because her recovery has been slower than she had hoped and she definitely would not be ready for a 5 mile race at this point).

Packet Pickup: There were 3 options for packet pickup – Monday at a running store in Union Square, Tuesday or Wednesday at a running store in Park Slope, or race day at the park. I didn’t want to do same day packet pickup because it meant being there a little earlier, and I didn’t want to go into Brooklyn before the race, so that meant Union Square on Monday.
The process itself was pretty easy. I walked into the store, and while they didn’t have any signs, I saw someone on line for what could only have been packet pickup. I gave them my name and they found my bib and gave it to me, then I went to someone else who crossed my name off a list. From there I went to a different table, where they took a tab off of my bib and handed me my hat. They also told me to take 4 safety pins if I needed them, which I did, because I forgot that my Fitletic belt has race bib toggles (spoiler alert … I would up using the safety pins because I was afraid that leaving the bib on the race toggles would annoy me). The whole process took less than 10 minutes (although when we passed the store on the way back from Whole Foods, there was a long line).

The Night Before: After finalizing a departure time with my dad (and confirming that he was bringing papers to grade in the car while I was running), all that was left was picking out my outfit and packing up my stuff for the race. I filled up my mid-run Jelly Belly bag (I was only short 4 jelly beans, so it was 2 buttered popcorn and 2 beer, which are the two I have the most of), grabbed a pack of Sport Beans (the plan was to have ½ of the pack before the race and ½ immediately after), put a little extra money in my belt, and charged up the Garmin. I had a good idea what I was wearing, but was ready to switch it up a bit if I woke up and it was colder than I had hoped. I packed a bag of stuff for the car, with a list on my computer of things that needed to be added day of (like my Uncrustables).
The alarm was set to go off at 5:50 AM (my usual Thursday morning alarm), so I wanted to be in bed before 11, setting myself up for about 7 hours of sleep. I actually didn’t end up going to sleep until a little after 11, which was okay, but not great. (I ended up having trouble falling asleep and waking up a few times in the middle of the night, but I don’t know if that was race-related or just my regular insomnia, so it doesn’t particularly concern me.)

Flat Sarah … at least as of Wednesday Night:

Race Day:
Pre-Race: My alarm went off at 5:50, and I was out of bed by 6:05 (which is pretty good for me), but it turns out I could have slept in bit … because I was ready to go 20 minutes early. I checked the weather and while the forecast was a little cooler than I had hoped, I decided to stick with the shirt I had originally planned to wear, but change from capris to tights.

Getting There: My dad drove me to the race, and the plan was to leave at 7:45ish. After checking Waze, I realized that it wouldn’t take that long, so we didn’t end up leaving until almost 8. We got there at 8:30. And I could have shown up later because I spent plenty of time just waiting around. But anyway … we used Waze to get into Brooklyn, and my father dropped me off by the entrance to the park … where I just followed the mass of people and the instructions from the staff.

The Course: The race was entirely within Prospect Park. I’m not at all familiar with the park, and there weren’t really a lot of signs directing you where to go. The staff was good about directing the runners, though, and I just followed the people in front of me.
In terms of elevations … there was a hill at the start, then another long hill towards the middle of the race, and the last mile was mostly flat. The hills were pretty gradual – nothing super steep.

The Race:
Mile 1 – The race started with a hill, which was a little discouraging for me. I realized partway into the mile that I had forgotten my pre-race snack (oops …), so I knew I had to take an early snack break. I went too fast and knew I was going to fast, but I had a hard time slowing down … not sure if that was the race excitement, the mass of people, the newness of my surroundings, or just my general problems controlling my pace. Oh, and early in the race, there was a lot of poop to deal with. CLEAN UP AFTER THE HORSES BEFORE THE RACE!
Mile 1 Split (per Sarah’s Garmin): 10:32

Mile 2 – After a fast mile 1, I thought I’d settle in a bit, but I was still struggling. I did take one snack break, but I did it during a regular walk break, so it didn’t affect my pacing. I was starting to feel really worn out, and wondering if maybe I wasn’t warmed up enough. But my pace was still pretty fast, so I was a little confused and wondering if/when my pace would catch up to how I was feeling.
Mile 2 Split (per Sarah’s Garmin): 10:58

Mile 3 – This was definitely my hardest mile. I struggled a lot and took a few extra walk breaks. There was a point during this mile where I really wasn’t sure if I’d be able to run the whole race. The bright side during this mile was getting a shoutout from a fellow skirt runner – I said running in a skirt is the best way to run (and encouraged a male runner to buy a skirt)!
Mile 3 Split (per Sarah’s Garmin): 11:40

Mile 4 – This was an interesting mile – I did struggle a bit early, but it was during this mile that I really hit my stride. I think it was also during this mile that the crowd support started to increase (it was mostly families cheering for their runners, but it was still nice to see people out there).
Mile 4 Split (per Sarah’s Garmin): 11:12

Mile 5 – I really felt like I was in my stride for this mile. I did have a few rough patches, but it was mostly pretty good, and I felt like I was really in my element. I was on a walk break when I heard that we were close to the finish, so I cut my last walk break short and ran to the finish. I started looking for my dad close to the end, but didn’t see him (he wasn’t able to find parking until pretty much when I finished, so he didn’t get to see me, which is the one problem with finishing as fast as I did).
Mile 5 Split (per Sarah’s Garmin): 11:10

Overall Stats:
Gun Time: 57:10
Garmin Time: 56:04 (for 5.06 miles – I started it a little early)
Chip Time: 55:50 (11:10/mile)
Overall Place: 1669 of 2315
Age/Gender Place: 176 of 227
Gender Place: 880 of 1355

Overall Thoughts:

• Very rough race. I finally hit my stride with about a mile and a half to go, but for most of the run I struggled. Definitely went out too strong and couldn’t recover, and I really didn’t feel like I had a good race (despite the good time). That said … the race was good, I just was never comfortable.
• Somehow there were people passing me throughout. Some of them going very fast. If you’re that fast, how are you still behind me in mile 4? I’m guessing it was either starting very slow and speeding up or some sort of slow/fast intervals, but still … that’s something that threw me off a bit.
• There wasn’t really a walking lane. I wasn’t sure how the run/walk transition would go, but since there didn’t seem to be many walkers around me, I just stayed to one side at all times and looked behind me before slowing to a walk so that nobody ran into me.
• I didn’t really feel like hanging around the post-race area. I don’t know if this was because I was alone, because there didn’t seem to be a ton going on (I didn’t even see bananas, but they had to be there somewhere, right?), because my dad was in the car waiting for me, or something else. If this is indicative of a general lack of interest in post-race areas … it could be a problem come Disney-time (when I was planning on hanging around the post-race area a bit).
• Um, I kinda like races now. As in, I would like to do more. What? Help!

And, last but not least … the medal:

ETA: I forgot to talk about post race. I wasn't really in the mood for anything, so I called my dad as soon as I finished (partially to see if he was there and I just missed him), then did my stretches by some checkers board thingies, then ate a whole pack of Sport Beans while walking back to the car. Once we were on the way home, I decided that I didn't want to bother looking for the nearest Starbucks, so no coffee. I finished my water bottle (didn't open the water bottle I had in my bag, even though I should have), ate an Uncrustable for breakfast (it's got carbs in the bread and protein in the PB!), and went home and showered. I did have chocolate milk after my shower, which was probably a little late, but whatever. And that's all you need to know about the day.

 

[Ariel484]

Sarah, I'm glad you got to do the race and got that cool medal and knit hat (nice to get something besides a race shirt). And what a great time even if you didn't feel perfect while running!

Cute skirt!

 

[SarahDisney]

Sarah, I'm glad you got to do the race and got that cool medal and knit hat (nice to get something besides a race shirt). And what a great time even if you didn't feel perfect while running!

Thanks! The hat was a great alternative to a shirt (especially because I probably wouldn't wear a shirt) and is really comfy!
I am really happy with my time. I just wonder how I would have done if I had actually felt good throughout the race ... (knowing me, I probably would have been slower).

Cute skirt!

Thanks! It's the only running-specific skirt I've ever bought (I'm still hoping for Sparkle Skirts to come out with a "longer than Hiker Chic" length), and I like it.
Although it does fall down sometimes because it's a little too big.

 

[rteetz]

Looks like you had a good time!

I really like that medal. I know my area has a turkey trot but I don't know much about it.

 

[SarahDisney]

Looks like you had a good time!

Definitely. Even though it was a rough run, I'm really glad I did it.

I really like that medal. I know my area has a turkey trot but I don't know much about it.

Yeah, it's pretty cool, isn't it?
There are a bunch of Turkey Trots in my area (that's the advantage of living in NYC - we have a lot of everything), and I'd definitely consider doing another one next year, whether its this one or a different one. It's no Disney, but it's still a pretty cool race atmosphere - pretty laid back, and a lot of fun costumes.

 

[SarahDisney]

Progress Update: 11/23 – 11/29​

Monday 11/23: Today was packet pickup for my Turkey Trot. I went into the city to pick up my bib and hat, and brought my sister with me … which meant a trip to Whole Foods. I love my sister, but one day I would like to go to the running store without also having to go to Whole Foods (or Trader Joe’s). I figured that walking around the city would be a decent amount of low intensity walking, but my Fitbit only picked up the 10 minutes I spent walking to/from the mailbox earlier in the day.
Here’s the swag I picked up at packet pickup (yes, this is the same picture I posted in the race recap … and if you follow me on Instagram, this is the 3rd time you’ve seen this picture):

Tuesday 11/24: Not a great run, and then not the best day eating-wise. But I did get a new sweater, which is always nice, and I got in a few thousand steps walking around the mall while shopping.
Run Recap: 3.69 miles in 41:18 minutes (11’11” pace) – I just could not go any further on this run. I’m a little disappointed with myself, but I guess it just wasn’t my day. I did start the run with 12 minutes of speed intervals, which gave me my fastest mile ever (leading to my fastest 5K time), but by the end of the speed session I wasn’t feeling great. After the speed session I switched over to intervals of 7:00 run/0:30 walk, which was okay, but not great, and I needed extra walk breaks towards the end. I did realize that when I use the longer run intervals, I tend to need a nutrition break, even during the shorter runs. I may try eating before the next run and seeing how I feel then. If I still need to eat during the run, I may just decide to “cut my losses” and stick with walk intervals on all of my runs.

Wednesday 11/25: Started my day by oversleeping slightly (like 20 minutes), followed by a 25 minute Pilates video – same one I did two weeks ago, but it was actually a little harder than last time. I also got in some walking time, as Beth and I finally went to check out the new TJ Maxx that opened a few months ago in what used to be my Barnes & Noble. I got pants for my Dumbo outfit (10K), which is great, because now all that’s left is finishing up the skirt.

Thursday 11/26: Turkey Trot Race Day! The race itself felt pretty rough, but I got a great time and overall, it was a good experience. I did eat like I just ran a race, though, which was probably not the best idea.
Race Recap: 5.00 miles in 55:50 minutes (11’10” pace) –See the race recap here

Friday 11/27: I woke up this morning, did my morning stretches, and then didn’t feel like exercising at all. Friday is normally cross training day, and I really wasn’t in the mood … but then I looked at my calendar and realized that I had scheduled Friday as a rest day (other than knee exercises), probably because I knew I would want a day off after the race. So that was good.

Saturday 11/28: Being sick is fun. I did a 10 minute Cardio Barre video before my soup with the intention of doing another 15 minute video after the soup. I never got to the second video. And I hate coughing.

Sunday 11/29:
Treadmill Run Recap: 2.79 miles in 32:01 minutes (11’28” pace) – This run was done on the treadmill because I’m a little sick (cold) and figured that if anything went wrong, it was better to be at home than out on the road. I didn’t feel great, so I’m a little glad I wasn’t outdoors, but … to be considerate of noise levels in the house, I decided to go on the treadmill while the rest of the family was at Costco. Since I’ve gone with them on the last few Costco trips, I forgot that being at home meant I would get calls and texts asking me to check inventory or asking if I wanted something. I kinda got discouraged by the constant interruptions and changed the planned 3.5 miler to 30 minutes (I’ll do the 3.5 on Tuesday). Other than the distractions, it was a pretty good run. I played with my speed a bit and was doing fine with much faster speeds than I normally do on the treadmill (I’m usually between 5 & 5.2, and this run I made it up to 5.6 with no problems), and I actually only took one walk break. I am a little frustrated that the interruptions ruined what could have been a good run, but now I know not to try running while they’re at Costco.

General Comments:
1 – I bought new shoes! I got a heads up from the Marathon Weekend thread that Saucony was having a sale, and I got a pair of the Guide 8’s (in blue) for about $50. I will probably buy insoles for the shoes, but I’m not 100% sure. The other question is whether I want to start rotating them in as soon as I get them or wait until I’m closer to retiring the current ones. They’re scheduled for delivery on Tuesday, so I have until Thursday’s run to make a decision.
1B – I also bought two other new running things this week … gray tights for my Dumbo outfit (as mentioned above), and gloves (actually purchased for me by my parents at Costco … so they’re a little more than I would have spent). I’m kinda disappointed that I didn’t like anything from the Raw Threads “Reindeer Games” sale … but really I’m looking for hoodies from them right now, and they didn’t have many hoodies as part of the sale.
2 – I’ve been having a lot of trouble with the daily stretching this week. I’m okay in the morning, but I don’t always set myself up to have time to stretch in the middle of the day, and I’m usually too tired to stretch at night. So that’s definitely something I want to work on.
3 – Week started out very cheese with a cheese omelet on Monday and a pizza bagel on Tuesday. I had mac and cheese for lunch on Friday, but stayed away from cheese for the rest of the week after coming down with a cold (something about dairy being bad for a cold).


This should be a basic, no-frills week. Sunday’s 2.75 miler is actually part 1 of a 5K/10K simulation … but more on that later.
Expect to see a November recap and/or my December schedule over the next few days.