Running Renaissance: Road to Paris 2024

[Herding_Cats]

congrats! I dream of being that fast someday......



Super late to the shorts conversation:
I have 3 pairs of IAB shorts: "no-ride pocket" with a 5in inseam. I wear these under my sparkle and dottie skirts, and can put my phone in one pocket, and a couple of gels in the other. They claim to be midrise, but they're a little higher than that IMO. they have silicone around the bottom of the leg openings, and they don't ride up. Every other short I've ever tried that doesn't have the silicone rides up. I very much like the price ($30/pair, but they almost always have BOGO going on, so $15/pair in real life.) The only thing I'm missing from them is a drawstring in the waist. The downside is that when I ordered last summer it took almost 2 months to get them. They're not the slippery fabric like UA or Nike leggings, but they're also not "peached" fabric; it's something in between, but it works for me. CVG has something very similar, but I haven't tried them.

 

[DopeyBadger]

Amazing under those conditions. Can’t wait to see what happens when the weather cools back off again.

 

[WillRunForPizza]

Fantastic race! Congratulations!

 

[NYC_MW]

Nice work! Woohoo PR, and happy end of spring racing

 

[nancipants]

To make matters worse, I recently watched an Instagram video from someone I trust telling me to try a new strategy for my next 5k. The strategy was basically go out fast and see how long you can hang on. A 5K != HM but it still made me want to try.

LMAO. I think instagram just showed me this same video. The internet is watching us!

 

[azrivest]

Congratulations on your PR with that T+D!!

 

[GollyGadget]

Congratulations on your dam PR!

thanks for the chuckle. Now I regret that I didn’t say I was dam proud

I didn‘t run when I lived there so I can’t help sorry!

No worries. I still have a few that I need to check out.

congrats! I dream of being that fast someday......



Super late to the shorts conversation

If you can dream it, you can do it!
But seriously, I’m not some super talented runner. I just run a lot because I enjoy it. With some consistent training, you could do it too.

Also appreciate the short recommendation! I haven’t purchased any new ones yet because I’ve been too busy but the no slip grip at the bottom is something I prefer. I have one pair like that now and never any problems with them.

Amazing under those conditions. Can’t wait to see what happens when the weather cools back off again.

Thank you so much for the kind words, support, and training plan.

Fantastic race! Congratulations!

Thank you!!

Nice work! Woohoo PR, and happy end of spring racing

Wooooo!

LMAO. I think instagram just showed me this same video. The internet is watching us!

The internet is a creepy place. Really glad I didn’t follow that advice.

Congratulations on your PR with that T+D!!

Thanks!

 

[kps7795]

DAM to DSM Race Recap
View attachment 765994
We finally made it. The final race in my spring season. I decided to do this race mostly out of convenience and because I like the race day atmosphere. It’s a point to point course starting at a dam and ending in downtown DSM (Des Moines). The photo above is from the dam with the city skyline in the distance.

Most of my spring was focused on speed so this wasn’t an “A” race. Regardless, I wanted to see what I could do. I set a new HM PR in 2022 of 1:48:03. Because of my recent 5K time, I thought that I could beat my PR if the conditions were right.

Pre Race
Early in the week I received an email from the race explaining the packet pickup and bus options. There’s no parking at the dam so all participants must ride the buses which depart between 5-6a. Gives the race a bit of a runDisney vibe

Later in the week I received another email about the race but this one was quite different. It warned of the predicted warm conditions and advised undertrained runners to switch to the virtual. This took me by surprise as I’ve never experienced a race telling runners they shouldn’t run. That was when I first realized that the weather was likely to be a factor.

Anyway, let’s flash forward to race day . I was very confused why my alarm was going off at such an hour. Fortunately I remembered before turning the darn thing off. I rolled out of bed, stumbled my way to the bathroom, and got dressed for the race. Along the way I noticed how foggy the windows were, not quite as bad as the 100% humidity 10K last month, but still pretty bad . I was still half asleep and questioning my life decisions as I headed out the door. Even Bucky thought it was too early to be bothered.
View attachment 766001

It was about a 10 minute walk to the buses and I was loaded and on my way by 5:20. It was a half hour bus ride and I was at the dam and pottied by 6a which gave me an hour to figure out a better race strategy than “try not to die.”

My training plan had included a hm pace of 8:05. Just like I had not followed the few workouts with HM pace, I also would not follow this pace. My 5K indicated a pace of 8:00 could be possible. To make matters worse, I recently watched an Instagram video from someone I trust telling me to try a new strategy for my next 5k. The strategy was basically go out fast and see how long you can hang on. A 5K != HM but it still made me want to try.

Fortunately, I came to my senses. Even if 8 flat was possible, the T+D was near 140 and I needed to adjust. Based on this, I decided to aim for 8:10. This would give me a PR and hopefully help me avoid multiple miles of suffering at the end.

Race Time!
View attachment 766016
I was lined up on the dam with 3000 of my closest friends. Since I had arrived so early, I was pretty close to the front. I was actively trying to not be at the front but the race announcer kept telling us to ignore the pace signs and come make friends with the fast runners.

Per usual, there was lots of jostling at the start. I did my best to just go with the flow and not go too fast. My first mile flew by in 7:58. I knew I needed to slow down or risk blowing up. Mile 2 - 7:21 Whoops! It included a 100ft descent so not quite as bad as it looked but still needed to step on the brakes. The next three miles were mostly flat and mostly on target.

Mile 6 included a small hill which reminded me once again that I really need to find some hills for training. I really don’t remember the next few miles much. Mile 8 had a 70 ft ascent and my pace dropped to 8:53. By mile 10 I was pretty well over it. I sincerely considered just stopping and walking it in. Then I passed a spectator holding a sign offering to call me an Uber. Why didn’t I think of that?

I walked through the next water stop and was able to find a tad more energy. At the end of mile 10, I was greeted with a gentle downhill. I used gravity the best I could to keep moving along. Another runner passed me in this section (one of many tbh) and told me that my form looked great. This gave me the reminder that I needed that I was strong and could keep pushing.

At mile 11 and for the first time all race, I took a look at my elapsed time and realized that if I could run 8:30 the rest of the way I could get my pr. With my eyes on the prize, I managed an 8:12 for mile 12. That may have been a touch fast and I started running out of steam. Plus the course took a cruel path as we literally ran under the finish line and then out half a mile before returning.
View attachment 766025

Seriously, why’d they do this? Anyway, I knew I was almost there and had to keep pushing. I couldn’t see a clock so I had no idea if I was going to make the PR but I wanted to give it all I had. In this case, that meant a max speed of 7:29 for about the last 10 feet.

1:47:35

Post Race Thoughts
View attachment 766074

Wooooo! I’m so proud of myself for grinding this one out. It was hot and uncomfortable for most of the race but I still managed.

That said, I don’t think I’ll be running this next year. (I’m fairly certain I said the same last year so don’t make any bets ). It’s pretty much always warm and humid. The timing isn’t great for my other race plans either.

But for now, that’s a future problem. I’ll be enjoying a couple of weeks off with minimal running and maximum touristing.

Happy running y’all!

What a great race. Congratulations of your PR!

 

[JAMIESMITH]

Awesome job in the heat!

 

[GollyGadget]

What a great race. Congratulations of your PR!

Thank you!

Awesome job in the heat!

Thanks!

 

[Mr_Incr3dible]

DAM to DSM Race Recap
View attachment 765994
We finally made it. The final race in my spring season. I decided to do this race mostly out of convenience and because I like the race day atmosphere. It’s a point to point course starting at a dam and ending in downtown DSM (Des Moines). The photo above is from the dam with the city skyline in the distance.

Most of my spring was focused on speed so this wasn’t an “A” race. Regardless, I wanted to see what I could do. I set a new HM PR in 2022 of 1:48:03. Because of my recent 5K time, I thought that I could beat my PR if the conditions were right.

Pre Race
Early in the week I received an email from the race explaining the packet pickup and bus options. There’s no parking at the dam so all participants must ride the buses which depart between 5-6a. Gives the race a bit of a runDisney vibe

Later in the week I received another email about the race but this one was quite different. It warned of the predicted warm conditions and advised undertrained runners to switch to the virtual. This took me by surprise as I’ve never experienced a race telling runners they shouldn’t run. That was when I first realized that the weather was likely to be a factor.

Anyway, let’s flash forward to race day . I was very confused why my alarm was going off at such an hour. Fortunately I remembered before turning the darn thing off. I rolled out of bed, stumbled my way to the bathroom, and got dressed for the race. Along the way I noticed how foggy the windows were, not quite as bad as the 100% humidity 10K last month, but still pretty bad . I was still half asleep and questioning my life decisions as I headed out the door. Even Bucky thought it was too early to be bothered.
View attachment 766001

It was about a 10 minute walk to the buses and I was loaded and on my way by 5:20. It was a half hour bus ride and I was at the dam and pottied by 6a which gave me an hour to figure out a better race strategy than “try not to die.”

My training plan had included a hm pace of 8:05. Just like I had not followed the few workouts with HM pace, I also would not follow this pace. My 5K indicated a pace of 8:00 could be possible. To make matters worse, I recently watched an Instagram video from someone I trust telling me to try a new strategy for my next 5k. The strategy was basically go out fast and see how long you can hang on. A 5K != HM but it still made me want to try.

Fortunately, I came to my senses. Even if 8 flat was possible, the T+D was near 140 and I needed to adjust. Based on this, I decided to aim for 8:10. This would give me a PR and hopefully help me avoid multiple miles of suffering at the end.

Race Time!
View attachment 766016
I was lined up on the dam with 3000 of my closest friends. Since I had arrived so early, I was pretty close to the front. I was actively trying to not be at the front but the race announcer kept telling us to ignore the pace signs and come make friends with the fast runners.

Per usual, there was lots of jostling at the start. I did my best to just go with the flow and not go too fast. My first mile flew by in 7:58. I knew I needed to slow down or risk blowing up. Mile 2 - 7:21 Whoops! It included a 100ft descent so not quite as bad as it looked but still needed to step on the brakes. The next three miles were mostly flat and mostly on target.

Mile 6 included a small hill which reminded me once again that I really need to find some hills for training. I really don’t remember the next few miles much. Mile 8 had a 70 ft ascent and my pace dropped to 8:53. By mile 10 I was pretty well over it. I sincerely considered just stopping and walking it in. Then I passed a spectator holding a sign offering to call me an Uber. Why didn’t I think of that?

I walked through the next water stop and was able to find a tad more energy. At the end of mile 10, I was greeted with a gentle downhill. I used gravity the best I could to keep moving along. Another runner passed me in this section (one of many tbh) and told me that my form looked great. This gave me the reminder that I needed that I was strong and could keep pushing.

At mile 11 and for the first time all race, I took a look at my elapsed time and realized that if I could run 8:30 the rest of the way I could get my pr. With my eyes on the prize, I managed an 8:12 for mile 12. That may have been a touch fast and I started running out of steam. Plus the course took a cruel path as we literally ran under the finish line and then out half a mile before returning.
View attachment 766025

Seriously, why’d they do this? Anyway, I knew I was almost there and had to keep pushing. I couldn’t see a clock so I had no idea if I was going to make the PR but I wanted to give it all I had. In this case, that meant a max speed of 7:29 for about the last 10 feet.

1:47:35

Post Race Thoughts
View attachment 766074

Wooooo! I’m so proud of myself for grinding this one out. It was hot and uncomfortable for most of the race but I still managed.

That said, I don’t think I’ll be running this next year. (I’m fairly certain I said the same last year so don’t make any bets ). It’s pretty much always warm and humid. The timing isn’t great for my other race plans either.

But for now, that’s a future problem. I’ll be enjoying a couple of weeks off with minimal running and maximum touristing.

Happy running y’all!

Congrats on finishing the dam race and a new PR!

 

[GollyGadget]

Spring Training Recap

Happy summer to my northern hemisphere residents! The first day of summer seems like the perfect time to recap my spring. I’ve never done a training recap, so please bare (bear?) with me as I ramble about.

This training period was different from my others in a couple of ways. First, the “A” race was at the beginning and the plan kept going for 6 weeks after that. Additionally, that “A” race was the mile which was a brand new race distance to me and involved a lot more speed work than my previous plans.

Even though I was quite nervous about my mile pursuit, no one was impressed that I was training for “only” a mile. Not that I run to impress anyone, but it very much had a different vibe when it came up in conversation. I guess everyone just assumes they can run a mile so it’s not hard.

So why was I doing this thing that had no glory and was scary? Mostly because I like doing new things . I’m also very fortunate to live only a few blocks from where the usatf has held their road mile championship the last few years and, like most road races, the event includes a mass participation race as well. I’ve also realized the mental and physical importance of switching up my training. I cannot be successful training for marathon after marathon. My mind and body need variation.

What about the other races? Why not just run the one race and call it good? The short answer is that I like racing. The atmosphere of race day cannot be replicated. From the pre race jitters (and often tears) to the enthusiastic spectators and finally that finish line feeling, I love it all. There is a longer answer for each of these races which I'm sure I mentioned in my race recaps so I won't rehash that here.

When I first decided that I would race the mile, I did lots of searching online for a plan. However, I couldn't find a single one that even came close to my expectations. They were all focused on beginners and as a result had much lower mileage than I desired. I debated digging out my JD book to create my own plan but that thought made my head spin. I had tried to create my own 10K plan last summer and it didn't go as well as I hoped. In the end, I reached out to @DopeyBadger to ask if he was up for the challenge. He graciously accepted and constructed an easy to follow and challenging training schedule. (Thank you so much Billy! It wouldn’t have been the same experience without your help. I hope to be able to repay the favor some day).

Since we have the week by week in my journal, I’m not going to recap the entire thing here. In total, I ran 570 miles with an average of 30 mpw with my max weekly mileage at 41.7 miles. That’s a lot of miles! It’s actually more miles than I ran to train for my latest marathon albeit also more weeks.

Which brings me to a very important lesson learned, 19 weeks is too many!! I knew it was long going into it, but I was quick to forget what that would mean in practice. I am grateful that my body held up and I had no physical injuries. A testament to the well designed plan! But I was very over it in the end.

Despite this challenge, it was still a very successful plan. I managed to PR in 3 of my 4 races. The mile was a gimme since it was my first, but the other two were hard earned in tough conditions thanks to my consistent training over the last couple of years. Before the season, I assumed that I was nowhere near my 5K PR fitness but even that result was only 10 measly seconds off .



In case anyone reading this needs a sign, this it. Train for a new distance. Don’t just run the same one year round. It’s a little scary to go outside your comfort zone but it’s also rewarding. As for me, I’m focused on fitting in strength training with my running for the next few months. After that will be marathon training for WDW in January and if I have my way, I’ll follow it up with another season focused on either the mile or the 5K (a new pr is within reach after all )

Happy running folks!

 

[Mr_Incr3dible]

Spring Training Recap

Happy summer to my northern hemisphere residents! The first day of summer seems like the perfect time to recap my spring. I’ve never done a training recap, so please bare (bear?) with me as I ramble about.

This training period was different from my others in a couple of ways. First, the “A” race was at the beginning and the plan kept going for 6 weeks after that. Additionally, that “A” race was the mile which was a brand new race distance to me and involved a lot more speed work than my previous plans.

Even though I was quite nervous about my mile pursuit, no one was impressed that I was training for “only” a mile. Not that I run to impress anyone, but it very much had a different vibe when it came up in conversation. I guess everyone just assumes they can run a mile so it’s not hard.

So why was I doing this thing that had no glory and was scary? Mostly because I like doing new things . I’m also very fortunate to live only a few blocks from where the usatf has held their road mile championship the last few years and, like most road races, the event includes a mass participation race as well. I’ve also realized the mental and physical importance of switching up my training. I cannot be successful training for marathon after marathon. My mind and body need variation.

What about the other races? Why not just run the one race and call it good? The short answer is that I like racing. The atmosphere of race day cannot be replicated. From the pre race jitters (and often tears) to the enthusiastic spectators and finally that finish line feeling, I love it all. There is a longer answer for each of these races which I'm sure I mentioned in my race recaps so I won't rehash that here.

When I first decided that I would race the mile, I did lots of searching online for a plan. However, I couldn't find a single one that even came close to my expectations. They were all focused on beginners and as a result had much lower mileage than I desired. I debated digging out my JD book to create my own plan but that thought made my head spin. I had tried to create my own 10K plan last summer and it didn't go as well as I hoped. In the end, I reached out to @DopeyBadger to ask if he was up for the challenge. He graciously accepted and constructed an easy to follow and challenging training schedule. (Thank you so much Billy! It wouldn’t have been the same experience without your help. I hope to be able to repay the favor some day).

Since we have the week by week in my journal, I’m not going to recap the entire thing here. In total, I ran 570 miles with an average of 30 mpw with my max weekly mileage at 41.7 miles. That’s a lot of miles! It’s actually more miles than I ran to train for my latest marathon albeit also more weeks.

Which brings me to a very important lesson learned, 19 weeks is too many!! I knew it was long going into it, but I was quick to forget what that would mean in practice. I am grateful that my body held up and I had no physical injuries. A testament to the well designed plan! But I was very over it in the end.

Despite this challenge, it was still a very successful plan. I managed to PR in 3 of my 4 races. The mile was a gimme since it was my first, but the other two were hard earned in tough conditions thanks to my consistent training over the last couple of years. Before the season, I assumed that I was nowhere near my 5K PR fitness but even that result was only 10 measly seconds off .

View attachment 769690

In case anyone reading this needs a sign, this it. Train for a new distance. Don’t just run the same one year round. It’s a little scary to go outside your comfort zone but it’s also rewarding. As for me, I’m focused on fitting in strength training with my running for the next few months. After that will be marathon training for WDW in January and if I have my way, I’ll follow it up with another season focused on either the mile or the 5K (a new pr is within reach after all )

Happy running folks!

Mr Pedantic says: It should be "bear with you".
"Bare with you" would be a very different conversation.... ;-)

Good comments about a mix of different run distances, and I like how you have your distances displayed with PRs. I need to do something like that.

And I totally agree about race day atmosphere and being out there doing it.
That is something difficult to explain to non-runners.
That feeling and that atmosphere is there whether it is a local fund-raiser 5k or the Peachtree Road Race with over 50,000 other people.
And Disney races, especially MW? I just love the atmosphere of having Disney geared up just for me for us to be there, and having so many fellow runners around me. And maybe that is it: that on a regular Disney visit, the other guests are just other people there to enjoy/endure their day(s) in the parks and competing with me to get on rides and into restaurants, whereas on a race weekend you are surrounded by people with which you have something more in common: a love of running and whatever goals and accomplishments are in store. Sometimes it leads to conversations while standing in line, other times it is just a thumbs-up or nod of acknowledgement in passing, because IYKYK.

 

[GollyGadget]

Mr Pedantic says: It should be "bear with you".
"Bare with you" would be a very different conversation.... ;-)

. Thank you! It makes so much sense now. When I was typing it up I couldn’t figure out what bears had to do with it

I like how you have your distances displayed with PRs.

My sister made the display for me for Christmas a few years ago. I’m still working on getting the lettering for the 1 mile but I’ll get there.

I just love the atmosphere of having Disney geared up just for me for us to be there, and having so many fellow runners around me.

You’re so right about the fellow runners and I can’t believe that I completely forgot to mention them. They’re a huge part of the overall racing experience. The nervous energy, the partners in agony, the knowledge to say just the right encouraging words (and definitely not “you’re almost there” ), the shared pride and accomplishment at the end. Races would be just another walk in the park without our fellow runners.

 

[NYC_MW]

Even though I was quite nervous about my mile pursuit, no one was impressed that I was training for “only” a mile. Not that I run to impress anyone, but it very much had a different vibe when it came up in conversation. I guess everyone just assumes they can run a mile so it’s not hard.

While I'm sitting here thinking (while reading yours and @WillRunForPizza's training plans), "mile training sounds stupid hard! Give me half marathon training any day."

In case anyone reading this needs a sign, this it. Train for a new distance. Don’t just run the same one year round. It’s a little scary to go outside your comfort zone but it’s also rewarding. As for me, I’m focused on fitting in strength training with my running for the next few months. After that will be marathon training for WDW in January and if I have my way, I’ll follow it up with another season focused on either the mile or the 5K (a new pr is within reach after all )

Oh... okay, fine, I guess changing things up might be good for me...

But congrats again on a well-run season!

 

[GollyGadget]

While I'm sitting here thinking (while reading yours and @WillRunForPizza's training plans), "mile training sounds stupid hard! Give me half marathon training any day."

Oh... okay, fine, I guess changing things up might be good for me...

But congrats again on a well-run season!

Thank you so much! You don’t have to train for the mile. Maybe just try a for a 10K

 

[GollyGadget]

Base Building - Intro

How does one go about building a base? Truth be told, I’m not really sure. I’ve never ran without a race training plan. Even in 2020 & 2021 when I was getting back into running without any races on the horizon I was following garmin coach plans.

I’ve got 27 weeks until my next big race, WDW Marathon, and as we all learned, that’s way too many weeks for me to be in race training mode. I realize that the official rD plans for the marathon have started so kudos to all of you with that kind of commitment. That is just not my cup of tea. ️

My marathon training block will be 18 weeks. I did not fully comprehend how long this was until I just typed it out! Last year I did 15 weeks in a shortened version of a similar plan. One of the problems that I faced this spring was that my “A” race was so early in the plan. With the big scary goal being at the end, my motivation will be better aligned with finishing out the plan. Speaking of goals, we’ll save marathon goals for later but I do have two goals for this base training phase:
1. Strength train 3x per week
2. Run 40 miles per week

I know I need to do better with my strength training. My body tells me so but it’s always the first thing I drop. The plan is to create a habit of Tuesday/Thursday/Sunday that I can stick with through January and beyond.

I’ve read a few different suggestions for pre marathon build. One of them is to be able to run 50% of peak (63) at the start and the other is 80% of week 5 (47). 40 is higher than either of those but a mileage that I believe I can handle.

As for a defined plan, that’s still in the works. Right now I’m still building up from my two weeks off.

Please post your comments or suggestions! As mentioned, I don’t really know what I’m doing and will take all the advice that I can get

 

[DopeyBadger]

This is a blog post from McMillan (2019).

What is “Base” Training?​

 

[SheHulk]

I've used Hal Higdon's "winter" plan before, with modifications. I use it in the summer because that's my downtime, not the winter.

https://www.halhigdon.com/training-programs/more-training/winter-training/

He also seems to have a bunch of "base training" plans, which I have never used:
https://www.halhigdon.com/training/base-training/
Those have different levels and seem like less of a "holding pattern" than the winter plan.

 

[GollyGadget]

This is a blog post from McMillan (2019).

What is “Base” Training?​

Thank you! I have done some reading on the topic but it was months ago. This was a great refresher.

I've used Hal Higdon's "winter" plan before, with modifications. I use it in the summer because that's my downtime, not the winter.

https://www.halhigdon.com/training-programs/more-training/winter-training/

He also seems to have a bunch of "base training" plans, which I have never used:
https://www.halhigdon.com/training/base-training/
Those have different levels and seem like less of a "holding pattern" than the winter plan.

I probably should have put quotes around my “defined plan.” Part of the reason for base training is to not have such a prescriptive schedule and instead run based on how I’m feeling. I’m sure these are great but I need a break from such strict scheduling.

My plan will consist of a weekly mileage goal and in the latter half what sort of workout I want to try. The workouts will not have goal paces but instead be things like fartlek or hills.