I ran the Disney Marathon. I wrote my recap for the Disney Marathon, and then I took an unplanned hiatus.
I’ve still been running, I’ve still been training (more on that in a minute), I’ve still been thinking about twin updates as I haven’t posted one in awhile, but the motivation to sit down and type any of it has just been lacking. Between work, training, and chasing toddlers, I’ve been going to bed shortly after they do most nights. The nights that I don’t I often find myself either cleaning (always cleaning) or staring blankly into space.
Hello space.
I was disappointed in the result at Disney. The trip was awesome, the race experience was great, the race itself? Not so much. I wasn’t and am not disappointed in my effort – if anything I probably tried harder at that race than any other. I was disappointed that one thing I couldn’t control (the weather) had such a negative impact. So, I thought about it for awhile and decided I wanted to give it another go. With Bryan’s blessing (he is obviously some kind of saint), I took an easy week, a second easier (though in retrospect probably not easy enough) week and last weekend started at week 11 in my plan with the hopes to run the Myrtle Beach Marathon.
I haven’t registered for this race yet, and I won’t until the deadline. It’s already as expensive as its going to get, and just in case I poop out or something in my body starts acting up again, its no pressure to decide to skip it. So, taking this one week at a time.
But so begins another set of (you guessed it) the ever exciting workout recaps.
(Last) Saturday – 15 miles @ 8:41. The “official” start of the plan again. The run went fairly well, but I felt like my legs were starting to poop out by the end, and my calves were a little sore and tight on the way home.
Sunday – rest day
Monday – cross training. Swim 1600 meters. It had been 3 weeks since I’d been to the pool, and so this felt like the slowest.swim.ever. It wasn’t by any stretch but swimming is definitely the sport I lose the fastest.
Tuesday tempo – 1 mile easy, 5@7:50. This one was inconsistent. Obviously the easy mile was fine. It was cooler temps so it took my lungs a bit of time to warm up. My second mile was 8:03, and my third, which was slightly downhill, was 7:35. Oddly, this mile felt so much easier than the second. Miles 4-6 I finally managed to get closer to 7:50. For some reason 7:50 is a tough pace for me to keep. I either feel more comfortable around 7:55-8:00, or 7:40-7:45. I have no idea why.
Wednesday – speedwork. 1000/2000/1000/1000 with 400m rest intervals. I had the twins with me for this one, so obviously I adjusted my time goals. I stayed pretty well within them, walking the rest intervals.
Thursday – cross training. 30 minutes on the trainer. I still dislike the trainer.
Friday– rest day.
Saturday – long run. 20 miles @8:50 average. I wasn’t worried about this one going into it, and felt fine up until about mile 15-16, when my legs started to poop out. It felt reminiscent of Disney, only this time I didn’t have the weather to blame. By the end my calves and hamstrings were TIGHT. Cardio wise, I felt fine. This time it was my legs.
Sunday – rest day. Calves still tight. Biofreeze, foam rolling, epsom salt, husband massage, prayer 😉 (They don’t hurt, just are still tight).
I swore up and down the weather was what slowed me down at Disney, but after yesterday I am not so sure. The problem is there are so many factors to consider (did I recover enough, busy schedule post Disney, nutrition/hydration etc) that it’s tough to tell. I read an Instagram account today of a girl who said a few of her biggest mistakes were: not taking the easy days easy enough, pushing for paces she wasn’t physically ready for, racing by pace and not by feel, and racing with goals that ended up to be too far out of reach. She found that she met them by getting there more gradually (smaller PR goals), and maybe that is more what I need. Maybe I am trying too hard. Maybe the Run Less Run Faster plan isn’t really for me. I don’t think I am pushing for paces too out of reach, as this same run before Disney was tiring but not painful. Maybe I’m just not completely recovered. All I know is: marathons are no joke, and I may end up tweaking the end goal. I will say, I oddly have more respect for my Disney finish now than I did 3 weeks ago.
One run at at a time.
Journey To the Finish Line 
February 1, 2016 at 9:56 pm
I think RLRF works for some people and for others, it does not work. As you’ve probably figured out, it does not work for me- mainly because it puts a goal pace on the long run and my body cannot handle 3 hard workouts per week. But, I’m not a triathlete and don’t plan to be, so I have zero incentive to get into the pool or bike. And you learn something new with every race you train for… obviously you’ve had some really big gains on RLRF so I would not rule it out just yet. See how MB goes. Btw I am totally NOT surprised you are considering MB when you got right back into doing long runs and ran with Tammie… when I saw the 20 I knew you had to be considering it bc no one runs a 20 unless they are training for a ‘thon.
I agree with not signing up right away but you’re come this far and unless something happens, you gotta go for it… 🙂
February 1, 2016 at 10:15 pm
Haha you are right about that. Not even runners run 20 miles just because. Lol. I haven’t ruled out RLRF yet – was just brainstorming on what might help/hurt. I dont think anyone is surprised I’m shooting for MB, just luckily no one (runners that is) has said I’m completely nuts. 🙂
February 1, 2016 at 10:16 pm
I’ve learned that rest days are super important. I would burn out because off days would actually be me running around catching up on everything and eating like crap. I think that’s a big factor in any training plan.
February 2, 2016 at 7:35 am
Agreed. It’s hard for me to really rest though with two toddlers!
February 2, 2016 at 7:49 am
Agreed, it’s tough to balance life with everything else. Utmost respect for maintaining a tough schedule with two little ones I don’t know how people do it but I guess you dig deep and find a way.