HMBTS Training, Week 10

This week got a bit complicated, as it saw the first of some scheduled 5k races lurk its way into my training plan without any thought for mileage or sticking with plans or my sanity or anything. So, yeah this week was a mess. Let’s take a look, shall we?

Monday

Rest | Rest

Monday was Labor Day, and we celebrated by having my folks over for a wee cookout.

Tuesday

5 mile run | Rest

A friend invited the Bairn and I out for a play date at a farm, which honestly sounded way more fun than running 5 miles with the stroller. I also knew I had Wednesday morning off, so I mentally switched days and figured chasing toddlers around a farm would count as cross-training (weak, I know).

Adorable.

Wednesday

Cross-training | 4.65 mile run

When I was first awake and getting the Bairn ready for school, I checked my weather app and I swear it said 81% humidity. So I was kind of dreading this run.

It might not have been quite 81% at run time, but I distinctly remember thinking “Huh, I feel like I’m running through soup.” It wasn’t entirely pleasant. However, the first 3 miles were surprisingly good, considering. I managed to run 3 without having to stop, my body felt okay, and I returned to my cocky “eh, it’s just 5 miles, easy peasy” mindset from last week.

Though I was able to make it through those 3 miles, by roughly 2.5 I was wishing I had chosen a route with access to water. True to form, I had not hydrated before the run and I was parched. Luckily I remembered I was relatively close to a playground I’ve brought the Bairn to before, and I vaguely remembered a bubbler there, so I changed course to find it.

The playground did have a bubbler – huzzah! – but the water was nastily warm and not refreshing at all. I had a bunch anyway, but the stop killed my momentum. The remaining 1.65 miles were rough, and I couldn’t bring myself to push for an even 5. I waved the white flag and stumbled inside to chug some Gatorade before getting ready for work.

Thursday

Rest | Rest

Typical rest day; nothing to report.

Friday

5 mile run | Rest

Here’s where the week began to get complicated. I was supposed to run 5, do some cross-training Saturday, and then run 9 on Sunday. I even had a route planned out that I was moderately excited about. Then I remembered I had a 5k Saturday. “Eh, not a problem,” I thought. “It’s a trail run, so I’ll take it super easy, maybe even walk it, count it as cross-training, then still run 9 on Sunday.” It seemed like a brilliant plan, so I turned Friday into a rest day…..

Saturday

60 mins cross-training | PBR 5K

… then the race actually happened. The Prospect Bandit Run (PBR 5k) is a race up Prospect Hill through the woods, and is notorious for being tough. I was wary of doing it two weeks out from my half (and 5 weeks out from one of my bucket list races!) but it’s part of the RAW Series, so I knew I had to complete it whether I walked or ran or whatever. I was planning to do it alone, so I figured I’d walk most of it and maybe run bits and pieces.

Then a coworker signed up to run with me, and she roped a third to join us. We all said we’d take it easy, as none of us were in hill- or trail-running shape, but when the race started we were off running.

Well… “running” is a relative term. The race started uphill, on a paved access road. A steep access road. Like, straight up. We were running, but my Garmin clocked us as going at a 17:00 pace. My quads gave up the ghost after about a minute, and I don’t remember much about that hill other than just being in pain and wanting to lay down to whimper. But my friends were still trying to run, so I pushed on.

Then we ran through the woods for a while:

And it wasn’t too bad. Then we started climbing again and it just kept going up. We stopped running and just tried to climb. There were some lovely observation points with a gorgeous view of Boston, but I just wanted the climb to be over so I barely even looked (though I wish I had!). I didn’t stop until we reached the tower at the very top:

And then we ran back down the woods, down some crazy stone steps much like ones we had traveled up:

It’s hard to tell in the picture how much of a slope there is, but it was pretty steep

We then ran back down the super steep paved access road to the finish line. I knew it was going to be a hard race, but it was hard. I kept saying “yep, that was a one-and-done for sure!” and I still feel that way two days later as my ankles are still screaming at me for making them roll all over roots and rocks and acorns. Definitely not the smartest race to do before a half, even if it was slightly fun to do with friends.

Sunday

9 mile run | Rest

At some point during the PBR, I told one of my coworkers – one who happens to be running the HMBTS with me – that I still planned on doing 6-9 miles Sunday, depending on how my legs felt. She laughed at me. Even Drew, who has hiked Prospect Hill in the past, said something after the race along the lines of “Yeah, you won’t be running tomorrow after running up Prospect Hill today.”

They were right. My legs were in agony on Sunday. They hadn’t so much as peeked at a technical trail in a few years, let alone try to run one, and those stabilizing muscles are pissed at me. Plus, holy hill Batman. I’ve been actively avoiding hills, or walking up them, because they aggravate my dodgy hip/IT band and I haven’t wanted to anger them too much before the half.

Whose idea was the PBR anyway? Dang RAW series.

Instead of running, I went to the zoo with Drew, my dad, and the Bairn:

Now I’m trying to figure out how the rest of my training will look. I’m supposed to run 10 this Sunday, but have a 5k that day. I figured I’d run that and then do 7 later, but my HMBTS-running colleague said something about tapering this weekend and now I’m totally second-guessing my training plan. Did I pick a plan with no taper week, or did I miscalculate?? Do I run long this weekend, my last weekend before the half, or do I taper, even though I didn’t run long this past weekend? Do I try to run long during the week somehow?

Help!

HMBTS Training, Week 9

Happy September! Race month! Oh man it’s getting real now. I flipped the calendar page and “half marathon” is just staring up at me. Plus two other races, both 5ks, in the weekends leading up to the half. I’m starting to get nervous.

Monday

Rest | Rest

A glorious rest day. Still August, still blissfully unaware at how close September and race day were lurking.

Tuesday

5 mile run | 5 mile run

The Bairn had his first dentist appointment on Tuesday, and I can’t get my act together to get him out of the house for a run before 10 these days, so both things happening was out of the picture. Instead, I set off for a post-supper run around the pond. It had been a while since I’d done an evening run, and I was treated to a lovely sunset:

I managed to eke out this run in just under an hour, which I was mostly pleased with. I think my best 5 miler was around 52 minutes, so a 59-and-change didn’t feel so bad.

Wednesday

Cross-training | PT exercises and stretching

Oh hey! Look who finally got off her arse on a Wednesday and did some leg and core work!

Thursday

Rest | Rest

Glorious, glorious rest day.

Friday

5 mile run | 4.6 mile run

So, one thing I really noticed this week is how much of a mental exercise running is. Obviously it’s physical too, but bear with me. Just a few weeks ago, 5 miles was my long run. I was mentally preparing myself, breaking up the run into smaller bits, bringing fuel along, etc. On Tuesday, I think I actually said to Drew “oh, it’s just a quick 5 miles, I won’t be gone too long” and hopped out the door like it was no biggie. That made me marvel a little at how great actually training is… it’s helping me build a base and work up to actually long long runs.

And then Friday happened. The running gods decided they didn’t like how cocky I’d become, and 5 miles kicked my butt. I barely made it 4.6. It was hotter than I was prepared for, I hadn’t hydrated in forever (even less than I normally do) and I didn’t really eat anything beforehand. I set myself up to get my butt kicked, I guess. Plus, I either have terrible late-summer allergies all of a sudden, or I have a cold, because I was congested and my eyes were running like crazy for this whole run.

So, the whole mental part of running needs to be handled smarter, since “only 5 miles” is still a significant enough amount of miles that I can’t just pop outside and get it done without putting fuel and water in my body. Running is full of lessons!

Saturday

Rest or easy run | Rest

Drew and I took the Bairn to the Children’s Museum to meet up with some friends:

Even though this was supposed to be a rest day in anticipation of a Sunday race, I still took it as a rest day. I still didn’t feel 100% and chasing toddlers around the Children’s Museum is pretty exhausting.

Sunday

10k race | 8.15 mile run

I did NOT want to run on Sunday. Oh man. I hadn’t slept great for two nights in a row thanks to allergies/cold, and woke up super congested and miserable. After my Friday run had gone so bad, I didn’t want a repeat performance. But, I also don’t want this half to kick my butt, so I forced myself to get dressed and throw my pack on, and out I went.

I stopped by Shammies HQ, secretly hoping P or another runner or two might still need some miles and want some company, but when I got there everyone had finished and was just chatting. I really need to get myself out the door earlier if I want to run with people!

Running alone did give the freedom to pick my route, and I decided to check out some more of the newly finished greenway that’s nearby. Shammies HQ is near a spur of the Tri-Community Greenway (the spur is what some Shammies call the Bunny Trail), but I had never ventured onto the rest of the Greenway.

Most of the greenway seems to be on streets, which was a little disappointing; I’ve been spoiled with the Minuteman Bikeway, which is a trail unto itself! There are a few spots on the Greenway that aren’t well marked too, so I took a few wrong turns and had to double back to get back on the trail. There were some pretty sections though:

Can you spot the tiny waterfall?

I stuck to the Greenway for just about 5 miles, then reached a point where it felt safer to run back to HQ rather than risk going too far for the sake of more adventure. Part of me wanted to try for 9 miles, but once I hit 5.5 or so, my right knee started giving me grief, I was hotter than I wanted to be, and I was out of gel, so I opted for the safer, closer-to-HQ route.

The first half of this run was pretty nice. I felt okay, felt like my form was good and my pace was relatively decent. Then it all started to unravel. The Greenway dumped me onto a busy street with no shade, my body started to hurt, and I just wanted to stop running. I’m glad I made it a full 8 with a tiny bit of change, and the last 2 miles or so really weren’t bad, but it was a struggle for a while.

After being pleased with my time from last week’s 8-miler, this week’s was back to the disappointment zone. I can’t help calculating what 13.1 miles will be at the rate I’m going, and it’s disheartening to think that it will be slower than my PR. I feel like I’m actually training this time around, shouldn’t I be a little fitter and faster? Maybe in the race-day atmosphere things will be different. Maybe the weather will be a bit cooler. Maybe it will all be terrible, who knows?

Next week is up to 9 miles. Maybe I’ll try to go a little further on the Greenway, which according to maps looks like it’s more off the road a little past where I left it this week. Maybe I’ll actually get going in time to run with the Shammies! Tune in next week…

HMBTS Training, Week 8

The weeks keep ticking by, and my training plan is finally starting to gently careen off the rails. If I look on the bright side, this is the best I’ve done/longest I’ve gone in terms of trying to stick to a training plan. It’s not great, but it’s better. So that’s something? Let’s see how the week went.

Monday

Rest | Rest

As they tend to be, this was a welcome rest day. My right leg had killed me all day Sunday after my 7-miler, AND I went and gave myself a huge bruise on the top of my left foot when I accidentally knocked the Bairn’s milk cup out of the fridge. So now both my feet are wonky. Huzzah!

Tuesday

4.5 mile run | 4.5 mile stroller run

On the bright side, we had a successful stroller run! If you follow my Instagram, you might have seen that I got ahold of some bug netting for the jogging stroller, after our last attempted Bikeway run was thwarted by nasty fly swarms. Best $4.50 I might have ever spent on amazon!

With the Bairn happily not getting attacked by bugs, I was able to run all the way to the bridge over the “fast highway,” where the Bairn loved seeing all the cars and trucks.

I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why the run back from the bridge was SO much harder than the way out. I mean, it’s the Bikeway, it’s pretty flat. But running to the bridge felt surprisingly easy, and it was disheartening that I was trying so much harder and going so much slower on the way back. It wasn’t until I got home and checked Garmin Connect that I figured out why:

Yep. There was a hill. Barely perceptible while on it, but clearly there! Seeing that felt pretty validating.

Wednesday

Cross-training | Rest

I don’t know why, but my motivation to continue my PT exercise/stretching routine is totally gone. I just don’t feel like it. To be honest, I’m surprised I kept doing it for as long as I did. I seriously need to get better about cross-training.

Thursday

Rest | Arm workout

This wasn’t planned, but I ended up lifting a bunch of heavy things at work on Thursday, and holding some of them for quite a while, to the point of my arms shaking a bit. So I’m totally counting this as an arm day.

Friday

4.5 mile run | Rest

I got a haircut, so didn’t have time to sneak in a run between daycare drop-off and work. And then it was a long, crazy day at work and I just didn’t feel like running afterward. So I talked myself into resting my janky leg and toes.

Saturday

50 minute cross-training | Rest/work

I worked a full day Saturday, which felt like a workout. It wasn’t really, but could kind of be considered cross-training if you squint and tilt your head a bit.

Sunday

8 mile run | 8 mile run

Aha! One of two successful and on-purpose workouts this week. I tried out my shiny new hydration pack (a Nathan VaporAiress) even though the temps were cooler this week. Eventually I’ll write a review once I test it out a bit more, but I like it so far. It was nice to have water right there without having to hold it in my hands, the pack was comfortable and didn’t bounce at all, and it held some fuel and my phone. The mouthpiece was a bit awkward, and the sloshing noise made me feel like I had to pee for the first few miles. It also made my back so sweaty that I thought the pack had leaked. But tbh, I was less sweaty than I was on the really hot long run days when I didn’t have a pack, so I didn’t really care.

Okay, the run itself. I set out too late to run with the Shammies – so I thought. I ran by HQ just in case anyone was still hanging out after, and everyone was there chatting. Huzzah! Shammie P was looking to add 3 more miles on to what he had already run, so I changed my intended route to run with him. He took me down some new-to-me trails in the lagoon, and it was nice to run with someone! Apart from the Bairn, I’ve been running solo a lot this training plan, and it was nice to chat and have someone to distract me from my usual internal whinging.

After going about 5k with him, I waved the white flag and set off on my own. We were going about 10:30 without stopping, which is faster than I usually go for long runs, and I didn’t want to overdo it.

I definitely stop more when I’m alone, to walk up hills (hills bother my leg quite a bit right now) and/or stop for fuel and water. Today I tried out a Gu gel to see how that went. I’ve run with gel once, during my last half, and it was a huge jolt of energy. I wanted to see if I could get more out of having gel once or twice than out of stopping for chews every few miles. The energy definitely seemed to last longer. I may switch my fuel to gels… they’re easier too.

One thing I noticed with the hydration pack is that I seem to pay more attention to my posture and cadence. I felt like I was running “right” today, like the way my Gait Retraining Guru of Yore was trying to get me to run. You can even see from my Garmin stats… my cadence was in the green way more this run than in past long runs:

I was pretty pleased with my pace today too. Starting fast with P definitely helped my overall time, and I think the Gu gave me better energy to run more without stopping (or maybe I just had to stop less to consume gel than I would to eat a few chews?). My time wasn’t much off from last week, and it was 1 mile longer. I’ll take that as a win.

Next week’s plan calls for a 10k race, but I might do what I did last time it called for a race and just run long again. I have a few 5ks coming up that are going to make my long runs interesting, so I’d like to get one more “real” long run in before race day, which is coming up quickly!

HMBTS Training, Week 7

Well, the pattern I spotted last week (decent week – wonky week, etc.) has broken. This was another wonky week, but I made do. I also got another bruised toenail, bringing the count up to 3. Maybe even following a novice training plan was still too much too soon for my long-suffering toes?

Monday

Rest | Rest

Maybe TMI, but the orthotics I’ve been wearing for several months gave me some gnarly calluses on my right foot… so gnarly, that I had to see a podiatrist Monday to have them removed. The relief when the one on my big toe was gone – ahhhh! It was lovely to be able to walk normally again. Surely this would only help my running??

Tuesday

4.5 mile run | 2 mile stroller run

I originally planned to take the Bairn out to the Bikeway for some stroller miles, but neither of us could get going in the morning, and my mom was coming to visit for the day. I decided for a quick loop down to and around the pond, but then we got chatting with neighbors and ran out of time. So we did a quick 2 miles around the neighborhood – better than nothing! – and then had a fun day with my mom.

Wednesday

Cross-training | Rest

I don’t really have any excuses for this extra rest day… I just didn’t feel like doing my usual cross-training routine, or anything else. It be like that sometimes.

Thursday

Rest | Rest

Typical Thursday, nothing to report.

Friday

4.5 mile run | 4.5 mile run

Huzzah, I finally did what I was supposed to do! After a wonky week, I was determined to get 4.5 miles in… even though I hadn’t hydrated or eaten very well before daycare drop-off. But, it was relatively cool and I figured I’d be fine. (Narrator: She was not.) It was way hotter than my weather app said, I swear, and it was a hard run. But I did it. And my toes hated me afterward.

Saturday

50 minute cross-training | PT exercises and stretching

My right leg hurt after my Friday run, something that’s been bothering me off and on all year (more on this in a bit). I was wondering if my having skipped my weekly informal PT session had something to do with it, so I did it Saturday. I also swept the house, which counts as an arm workout, right? Maybe?

Sunday

7 mile run | 7 mile run

It was upper 70s and uncomfortably humid when I set out for my run this morning, so I opted for loops of the pond so I could have regular water breaks. I figured those would be a good time to pop some chews too. To keep it interesting, and to change up the hills and such, I reversed direction after each bubbler break.

I realized as I ran that I have sort of settled into a love/hate relationship with the pond when it comes to running. I love that it’s a clear-cut 2-mile loop, that it’s a pleasant place to run, that it has a bubbler with cold water plus a bathroom if needed. However, as my long runs get longer, the pleasant view gets a bit old, and the many other people who are typically out enjoying the pond get a bit old too. Especially dog walkers who give their leashes a ton of slack and let their dogs jet out in any direction at random, and especially people who walk next to each other on the sidewalk (or 3+ abreast at the wider bits) and don’t make room even when they see someone coming. Bubbler excepted, I found myself missing the random, pedestrianless roads I’ve been running the last few weeks.

Other people and ennui aside, the run itself felt pretty good. I struggled at the start to rein in my pace, which was hovering just faster than 10:00 for longer than preferred. I managed to keep my running pace between 10:30 and 11:30 for nearly the whole time; my slow mile paces came from walk breaks and/or bubbler-and-chew breaks.

Despite the heat and humidity and the fact that I was taking quick walk breaks every mile after the first 2, I felt strong when I was running, and was pleased with my pace. When I hit 6.75 miles, I even had the (brief) thought that I felt I could run more than 7 miles. I didn’t want to! But I felt like I could, and that was pretty cool.

And yet… I was pretty disheartened when I saw my overall time – 7 miles in just shy of 1.5 hours. My half marathon PR is currently 2:37:58. A half marathon is a little less than twice what I ran today, and if you double my time, it’s nearly 3 hours. I felt faster and stronger running today than I did in my PR race, and yet my projected time is worse. It just doesn’t add up in my mind, and I’m still a little bummed. I feel like I should focus on how I felt during the run and not on my pace worries, but that’s what’s sticking.

Well, that and the pain in my right leg. It was diagnosed as hip bursitis back in April, and then it disappeared for a few months and I was fine until training for this half was underway. The pain first appeared when I started wearing orthotics, which was supposed to help everything, not send my hip wonky and give me gnarly calluses. Not cool. I don’t really want to go to PT, and I don’t want to rest it because this is the best a training plan has gone so far, dammit, and I don’t want to stop even if it’s stupid not to do so. So I’m icing and stretching and doing my old PT exercises and we’ll see, I suppose.

Will this hip pain drive me to the brink?Will Week 8 bring yet another bruised toenail? Will I finally figure out my hydration-without-pond-struggles situation? Tune in next week…

HMBTS Training, Week 6

I seem to have established a pattern of decent week – wonky week – decent week – wonky week. This was another wonky week, but I managed to get a few runs in regardless, AND brought my mileage total for the year up over 100! I don’t think I’ve ever hit 100 this early in the year before (or ever…?) It’s not Pace Bunny miles, but it’s great for me, and I’m chuffed. This week also saw my second bruised toenail, but let’s focus on the good, shall we? 100 miles!

Monday

Rest | Rest

I took the Bairn to the park and sat in the shade while he made a new friend and then parked next to me to play with some trucks. Other than that and the grocery store, it was a very low-key day.

Tuesday

 

4 mile run | Rest

The sickness that took the Bairn down over the weekend hit me, and Tuesday was a little rough. I was in no shape for running, but still had the idea planted in my head that we’d try another stroller run at the Bikeway. Instead, Drew worked from home and I slept until noon. I haven’t slept that late in who knows how long. Luckily that epic sleep seemed to vault me over the big and I felt mostly normal by Wednesday.

Wednesday

Cross-training | PT exercises and stretching

Nice, gentle routine to ease me back into exercise this week.

Thursday

Rest | 4 mile run

Drew’s company had a family field day on Thursday, so we both took the day off, kept the Bairn home from daycare, and spent the day frolicking in a field. But first, taking advantage of a schedule change, I got a run in. It was hot, the run didn’t feel great, but I got the miles in and felt better afterward.

The Bairn got in a good workout on the bounce-house-obstacle-course thingies too

Friday

4 mile run | Rest

I had a doctor’s appointment in the morning and after-work plans with a friend, so I happily swapped Thursday’s prescribed rest to Friday.

Saturday

Rest | Rest

The training plan called for a rest day because Sunday was supposed to be a race day… but I kept it in there even though I knew I wasn’t going to race. My second toenail bruise of this training reared its dark, ugly head on Thursday after my 4-miler, and I’ve been nursing some gnarly blisters after last week’s long run, so I granted myself a reprieve before my next long one.

Sunday

5k race | 6 mile run

I was wrestling with whether to race or run long in my post last week, and I ended up going with a second 6-miler. I’ve raced before, so I wasn’t sure a random 5k would bring much benefit to me at this point… whereas after a sub-par 6 miles last week, I mentally needed another long run. Plus, heading out for a long run is so much simpler and less time-consuming than getting all psyched up for a traveling to a race – not to mention cheaper!

This time, I made sure to work the pond and it’s glorious bubbler into my route, along with a few places to buy water if needed in the second half of the run. I think that helped, and it definitely didn’t hurt that it was 10+ degrees cooler and less humid this week!

I managed to run more consistently than last week, though my breaks were a bit longer because I kept stopping to either take pictures or wrestle my water bottle open. It’s the first long run (not a race) I can remember keeping my pace below 12:00 for, so I was pleased with that.

I was also pleased with the views I got by the pond!

Mile 5 was a bit rough… I had stopped to buy a bottle of water after the quick bubbler stop at the half-way point proved to be not enough. Like I said above, I stopped a few times to wrestle it open (condensation on bottle + slippery sweaty sunscreen hands = fail) and guzzle, and then also there were a few awkward traffic situations and stopping at intersections. Given how much I flagged in that mile, I’m chuffed that I rallied for mile 6. Chews and cooler weather ftw!

In that long 5th mile, as I struggled with the bottle cap and remembered how much I don’t enjoy carrying a water bottle while running, I had some time to think about future hydration tactics. I definitely could use something, whether that’s a pack or a belt, if I’m not going to limit my long runs to loops of the pond or loops by my house. Now I just need to figure out which I want… and if I can find anything that’s not exorbitantly expensive!

Will next week be a decent week, following this one’s wonkiness? Will these blisters ever heal? Tune in next week…

HMBTS Training, Week 5

Ah, back on (somewhat) track this week. Apart from the effects of some tenacious bugs and a sick toddler, my training was mostly decent this week. Let’s dive right in:

Monday

Rest | Rest

My long run the day before left me with a low-grade migraine (or should I say, my lack of hydrating before, during, and after my long run left me with a low-grade migraine?) so I mostly took it easy. I took the Bairn to get a haircut, and we tried to escape the heat afterwards with a leisurely stroll around the mall. Otherwise it was a pretty restful rest day.

Tuesday

4 mile run | 2.5 mile stroller run

By day 3 of a headache that wasn’t going away no matter what I did or what meds I took, I was stir-crazy (Snip-Its and a half-hour trip to the mall don’t really cut it when you’re feeling ill and otherwise house-bound). I figured my head would hurt no matter what I did, so I might as well get my run in. I loaded up the Bairn and we returned to the Minuteman Bikeway for an intended 2 miles out, 2 miles back run in the relative shade.

It was hot and not entirely shady, but otherwise an okay feeling run… until we hit the bug swarms. Holy. Flies. Batman. They were determined to make our lives miserable. The Bairn was crying because they were in his face, and each time I’d stop to help/reassure him, they’d dive at me. Even if I was running relatively fast, they were still on a mission to invade my eyes. It was brutal. I called it around 1.3 miles in, not wanting to risk venturing to the 2-mile mark, and we turned around and ran back with arms flailing.

Next time, I’m dousing us in bug spray first

Wednesday

Cross-training | PT exercises and stretching

In addition to my now-usual routine of leg/hip/core exercises, I also did a bit of an arm workout at work… I moved everything out of our vault, inventoried and photographed it, and moved it back. You can’t see it, but I’m flexing as I type this.

Thursday

Rest | Rest

Not much to say here.

Friday

4 mile run | 4 mile run

I sneaked out between daycare drop-off and work for a hot, hard 4 miles. I’m getting bored of my usual running routes, so I explored some side streets and sub-divisions. While a bit more interesting, it made me long for two loops of the pond so that I could have access to a bubbler and shade. I managed to keep my pace below 11:20 in spite of the heat and my intense thirst, so I’ll take that as one good thing, at least.

Saturday

40 min cross-training | rest

The Bairn woke up Saturday with a fever and a bad cough, so I spent most of the day cuddling him on the couch and watching the Cars movies on repeat. Drew spent the day tackling yard work that was weeks – and, in some cases, months – overdue, so I was happy to lie low with our poorly Bairn while he made our yard look less like one that belongs to a haunted house.

I mean, look at the tree growing out of our overgrown hedges. Yikes.

Could I have done some cross training while the Bairn napped? I suppose… Did I? No…

Sunday

6 mile run | 6 mile run

So. Remember how I wrote up there under Friday that I’ve grown bored of my usual routes? Not remembering how desperately I wanted access to a bubbler two days prior, I mapped out a 6-mile route that prioritized running down new-to-me streets, rather than one with any proximity to water or even shops in which to buy water. Add to that a later-than-preferred start, since Drew slept in longer than expected, and a route with lots of unexpected hills and almost complete lack of shade, and you get one hot mess (me) barely dragging herself along for 6 miles.

The first mile was okay In fact, maybe too okay. I ran it faster than I wanted, but this whole run I struggled to keep my pace sustainable. I was hot and so, so thirsty, but my legs wanted to chug along faster than my brain wanted. So I ended up taking a ton of walk breaks. I don’t know what’s better… running more at a slower pace, or running a bit faster and taking more walk breaks? Pre-Bairn, my long runs while training for a half had me doing the former, and my paces were pretty similar to this run, which was the latter. Six of one, half dozen of the other, I suppose.

I was starting to flag by Mile 2. Mile 3 was a little ridiculous. I got lost, several times. Well, not totally lost-lost… I knew generally where I was, but managed to miss the streets I was meant to turn down, again and again, so I kept stopping to pull out my phone and check Google Maps. (This is what happens when I choose new routes, eh?) Miles 4 and 5 were miserable, but not the worst. When I hit mile 5.5, I pretty much gave up and walked home, except for the last tenth of a mile or so, when I had to run to cross a busy street.

If I don’t opt for bubbler-filled-but-boring routes, I think I need to start carrying water on these long runs, which will continue to only get longer for the next several weeks. To be honest, I don’t even know where my sub-optimal hand-held water bottle thingie is anymore. It leaked, the water warmed up super fast, and it didn’t hold nearly enough, but man, I missed it on Sunday.

Next week actually calls for a 5K race rather than a second week of 6 miles. I haven’t decided if I want to sign up for a random race, try to “race” 5K on my own, or just run a long, slow 6 again. I have a week to decide…

Would you follow the training plan and race, or do another long run?

Is one of those hydration backpacks worth it for these hot, summer long runs? Or is my inner gearhead just trying to get me to spend unnecessary money on new kit?

HMBTS Training, Week 4

This week ended up being a bit wibbly, as shifting a long run from Sunday to Monday is apparently enough to send me skidding sideways, training-plan-wise. Let’s see how I picked up the pieces:

Monday

Rest | 4.5 mile run

As I mentioned last week, Sunday was hot as soccer balls and I was a giant grumpus, so when I saw that Monday was supposed to be cooler, I bumped my long run up a day.

Drew had been sick all weekend and wasn’t 100% by Monday, so he took a sick day. Thankfully he was well enough to be on Bairn Duty, so I was able to do this long run a) without the stroller or b) not on the treadmill at the gym. I picked a route that took me by two bubblers and a bathroom, and figured I’d be golden.

While the 80*F temp did indeed feel cooler than the 90+/over 100 with heat index of the weekend, it was still incredibly humid and sticky and gross. My weather app said it was only 56% humidity but I swear it was worse than that.

Look at those storm clouds just wanting to rain down on me! Sadly they did not.

I was supposed to do 5, but could only manage 4.5 before calling it quits. I made it down to the pond and part way around the lagoon (not even 2 miles total) before I wanted to crawl home and wave the white flag. I took a lot of walk breaks, and my running speed was sloooooow. But something is better than nothing, eh?

Tuesday

3.5 mile run | rest

My hip/leg hurt pretty bad after my long run, plus the training plan calls for a rest day after a long run, so I rested. It was nice.

Wednesday

Cross-training | 3.5 mile run

Drew was on bedtime duty so I snuck out for a sunset run to make up for Tuesday’s rest day. I was feeling good, so I figured for grins I’d try to see how far I could run before I had to stop.

Guys, I made it all 3.5 miles! I don’t think I’ve gone that far without a walk break in literal years. I didn’t even stop at intersections or anything – I just adjusted my route so I wouldn’t need to. It made me feel like a boss, and I felt so good afterward. Yay for a good run after a not-so-great one!

Thursday

Rest | rest

Back to my usual schedule, which meant no time for anything but resting. Which I excel at.

Friday

3.5 mile run | PT exercises and stretching

I opted to drink a leisurely coffee and read before work rather than try to squeeze a run in. Then bedtime was waaayyyy off after the Bairn needed an emergency bath post-daycare (seriously, did he work up a sweat and then roll in the dirt? … probably), and after dinner took super long for some reason. By the time all was said and done, it was dark out and I didn’t want to go to the gym. So I did my usual Wednesday evening PT routine and called it a night.

Saturday

40 min cross-training | rest

I got my hair cut and apparently that was enough to exhaust me for the rest of the day. So other than pushing the Bairn around the yard in his Little Tikes car, I had another rest day.

We also examined the wheels on his new present from Dappa (Grandpa)

Sunday

5 mile run | 5 mile run

Huzzah! A long run that was pretty decent! I met up with the Shammies at HQ, more for motivation than anything, and ran the first mile with J, who is recovering from knee surgery. We had a nice chat then split off on our own routes – she on the road to home, and me (I?) on the bunny trail.

I hadn’t hit the bunny trail in maybe 4 years. I remembered it being about a 5-mile route from HQ, and a nice change of scenery from just loops around the pond, which is what the other Shammies were doing.

The bunny trail and a hard-to-see stream on the right

I made it just shy of 3.5 miles without having to take a walk break (though I did take a quick bubbler break at the pond), and was feeling pretty good. My pace picked up in the middle mile (when I was on the bunny trail, by myself, in the woods and feeling like I wanted to be out on a street again), but otherwise was holding steady around 11:20.

The last half-mile was the worst. It was back on the road, after several long hills, and in full sun. It wasn’t quite 9am but already the temp was climbing, and I was done. I had an image of a frozen coffee from Dunkies in my mind, and it was the carrot I needed dangling ahead of me to finish up. And it tasted amazing.

Considering this was my longest distance so far on this plan, I’m quite pleased with the run as a whole. I felt good until around 4.4 miles, with long stretches of being able to run without wanting to take a walk break. 11:20 is a decent pace, as historically my long runs tend to be over 12:00/mile. I just need to keep it up and soon 5 miles will feel like cakemeat, right??

Will I be able to recalibrate my training plan next week? Will the heat that’s still lurking knock me off the rails? Time will tell…

HMBTS Training, Week 3

This week included a heat wave and my first bruised toenail of training season – woo hoo! Let’s dive right in:

Monday

Rest | 4.5 mile stroller walk

This week was forecast to be in the upper 80s – mid 90s, so when Monday morning was still in the low 70s, I was determined to get out and do something with the Bairn. Last summer we took epic stroller walks to Dunkies and various parks, and this morning we went to Dunkies and then for a stroll around the pond. I was dragging by the end, but it was nice to get out on a gorgeous day, rather than hiding inside with the A/C pumping.

Down the pond

Tuesday

3.5 mile run | 3.5 mile stroller run

I was intimidated by the evening’s scheduled speedwork, and was also looking for something to do with the Bairn before the temps turned scorching. Figuring the Minuteman Bikeway might be shady and cool (and relatively flat!), I loaded the Bairn and the jogging stroller into the car and away we went.

This was my longest stroller run yet (previously was 5k), and dang, it was hard. And a little discouraging. Samantha’s Harvest had me all cocky about my increasing speed, and then here I was, barely able to hit a pace of 12:00/mile on a flat course. I blame the heat (I chose the direction that was way sunnier than I expected) and my wonky leg. But still, miles are miles, I got it done, and it was pretty:

For a post-run cool-down, the Bairn and I went to a new playground nearby that had a splash pad. Man, I wish these things existed when I was a kid!

Wednesday

Cross-training | rest

It was hot, and I was nursing some blisters and a bruised nail from the day before’s stroller run. When I spied the forecast for Thursday, I decided to take an early rest day and embrace some laziness.

Thursday

Rest | 3.5 mile run

Thursday was the one day that saw some temps in the 70s this week, and serendipitously, I had a schedule change that meant I had the morning free. Rather than have a rest day, I ran giddily out into the relative cool and blazed some new-to-me trails in my neighborhood. It was still humid, so it wasn’t a totally ideal run, but I was happy to be out that day rather than in the stickier Friday temps!

Friday

3.5 mile run | PT exercises and stretching

Pretty much same-old same-old compared to weeks 1 and 2 – I added a few seconds to my planks but otherwise kept the same routine.

Saturday

40 min cross-training| 1 40-second plank

It was hot. Hawt. Hott. Hot as soccer balls. And after the Bairn woke up super grumpy from his nap and remained so for the rest of the evening, I was in no mood to do anything. So I did a single plank and called it a night.

If I really want to stretch, I can claim that lugging a hose around the yard and splashing with the Bairn in his tiny wading pool was cross training…? Not really, but it’s all I got.

We barely fit in there together

Sunday

5 mile run | rest

Sunday was even hotter than Saturday, and there was no way I was going to run in that mess. Even at 7am it was over 80 with the heat index, and still up there in the evening. I also did NOT feel like running 5 miles on a treadmill in the stuffy gym, even if it would be marginally cooler than outside. Then I saw it was going to be cooler on Monday, so I opted to move my long run to the following morning, and took a grumpy rest day. Not even a plank. Just a case of the grumps.

Onward to next week…

Analyzing My Run: The Rainy 5-Miler

Hello again! I thought if I could get my thoughts on my run down faster than I did last week, maybe I’d have something of substance to say. Knowing my brain though, it’ll probably just be more rambling. Let’s see how it turns out, shall we?

(TL;dr – I ran 5 miles in the rain. It was hard. It was slow. Then I ate a doughnut.)

I knew even last night that today’s long run probably wouldn’t be a very good one. I spent yesterday hanging out with B, my best friend from college, and the day involved North End pizza, JP Licks ice cream, some cheeky Union Square donuts, lots of walking in the sun (leading to a very red face/head), good talks, and a Primark bender. I managed to fit the consumption of a bottle of water in there, but on the whole didn’t hydrate a lot or eat very well. So I had already stacked my own cards against me.

Carrying on regardless, I pulled myself out of bed at 7:30, donned my kit (including a hat which would serve the double purpose of a) protecting my fried scalp and forehead and b) keeping the rain out of my eyes), took a bite of the pieces of doughnut I had left over from yesterday, and headed out into the drizzle with the aim of doing 5 miles.

Stopped for a breather in the drizzly lagoon

I had done a 3-minute : 1-minute run-walk interval for last week’s 4-miler, then rode the struggle bus pretty hard doing 2:1 at the track on Tuesday, so I opted for the middle ground – 2:30 : 1.

The first few were grand – I was running downhill, I  passed Shammie Steve and thus wanted to look good… and then I just kind of petered out. My mile times got progressively slower for the first 3 miles (though I did manage to negative split the last 2… I think I was excited knowing I’d be done soon!)

Foregoing the MapMyRun Route Genius, I took my run down to the pond and around the lagoon, and then sort of improvised as I went from there. Highlights include seeing a goose family with some awkward-stage adolescent goslings, playing inadvertent tag with a robin (he was sitting on the path and when I’d get close, he’d fly a few yards farther down the path, only to have to fly again as I approached. I finally scolded him gently with a “Mr. Robin! You should get how this works this by now!” and he at last fled to a nearby tree), and seeing a bunch of Shammies.

In fact, I decided to add some commentary to my Garmin stats:

I especially enjoy what happened at the 3rd and 4th arrows… trying to squeeze some more distance into the final stretch home, I decided I’d run “down” a street I’d never been on before, only to turn the corner and see that “down” was so wrong. The street went straight up. Arrow 3 shows my gob-smacked walk break, i.e. stopping cold to stare at the hill in disbelief, and then pulling out my phone to take a picture:

Hills never look as bad in pictures, do they? But this one was a monster.

The run down the other side was fantastic, though!

I did learn on this run that Simon is very hard to hear when running along busy roads that are wet – the passing cars drown out his beeps completely. If you look at the data in the last data-ful image, you can see my intervals are pretty regular. Then the fat 2nd arrow was when I turned onto a main road and lost the plot the ability to hear the beeps. It felt like that interval was particularly tough and seemingly endless, and then I realized I had run for 2 running chunks without a walk break. Oops!

The gleeful run down the Monster Hill brought me to another main street, so after one last quick pause while waiting to cross an intersection, I abandoned the intervals and just kept running. In a moment of desperation and weakness, I even tried to revert back to my old flingy-shins running style in the last half-mile, in hopes that it would make my life easier, but I think I was still mostly keeping proper(ish) form. I guess that’s a good thing!

I somehow dragged myself to the Mile 5 beep and shut Simon down immediately. I walked the rest of the way home, stretched, pounded a glass of Nuun, and then shoved the remaining Union Square donuts in my face. Follow that with a shower, a homemade iced latte, and a delicious (and much healthier than doughnuts) scramble, and I felt much better. But that run was hard, man. How the h-e-double-hockey-sticks am I going to be able to do a half marathon in two weeks??

[Cue quick panic]

Looking for the shiny, one thing I really enjoyed was (figuratively) running into friends during this run, and reflecting on how much better it made the run seem, even for just a few seconds. I used to have the luxury of having a faithful running buddy when Colin still lived down the street; running with someone, especially on long runs, really makes the run seem shorter and less terrible. Now that I’m mostly on my own, runs can feel endless. I bumped into three separate clusters of Shammies along the way, plus Shammie Steve at the start, and seeing them gave me a great boost.

(Related, so did stopping to pet a big, fluffy, friendly dog belonging to one of those Shammies!)

How was your weekend? Did you run long or race?

Doughnuts – good pre-run fuel and/or post-run recovery snack, or nah?

Am I going to survive a half in two weeks?? Or am I completely crazy?

Ever been to a Primark? If so, are you as obsessed as I am?

Analyzing my Run: The 4-Miler

…or, How I Lost the Mental Bandwidth to Write This Post, and So Turned It Into a Post of Random Thoughts Instead

Right, so. I was planning to ramble on a bit about my 4-mile run that happened last Sunday, kind of like how I rambled for ages about my 3-mile run, but I didn’t really have a lot to say about it. I did 3:1 run-walk intervals:

…and felt like my head was going to explode from redness even though it was relatively cool (I realized, when I looked at my phone during during my cool-down walk, that the humidity was at 85% so that might explain it!). That’s really all I remember, so that’s all I’ll say about that. On to the randomness!

(source)

1. After my 4-miler, in a fit of nostalgia, I was reading part of an old favorite YA series by Louise Rennison (may she rest in peace). A passage from book 5, Away Laughing on a Fast Camel, spoke to me after my very red run I had just completed, and I thought it would be fun to share.

To set the scene: the main character (Georgia) is going for a run in an effort to impress her Italian crush, Masimo. She doesn’t usually run, and was planning to build up her fitness a bit before “casually” finding out where Masimo runs and “bumping into him” there, but things didn’t really go as planned:

Can heads explode? Because I think mine is going to.
There is some other fool out running. I can hear pounding along behind me but I haven’t got the strength to look round. When I get home I am going to get in the fridge I am so hot and red.
“Ciao, Georgia.”
Ohmygiddygodspajamas, Masimo!!!
Noooooooooooooooo.
He caught up with me and was running alongside me. I just kept running and turned and gave him what I hoped was an attractive smile. Attractive if you like a smiling tomato in a jogging outfit. He looked sooo cool, and not even sweating. Also he seemed to be able to breathe. And talk.
He said, “You know, I didn’t get your phone number. Would it be possible for you to me for to tell?”
I gave him another smile. It might be the last living thing I did. Then I saw the hill path and my brain was so starved of oxygen it had no control over any part of my body. My legs started stumbling down the hill path. They were just merrily careering down the path, carrying my head and body along with them.

I know that feeling well – my legs careering along carrying the rest of me with them! Plus the sensational redness and “tomato in a jogging outfit” situation. Oh yes.

2. I joined the Shammies for Tuesday night track again, and this time decided to try a gentle speed workout of my own, using my GRG intervals. Figuring that the 3:1s on Sunday were okay, I thought the prescribed 2:1s would be relatively easy. Nope! I rode the struggle bus pretty hard and couldn’t figure out why shorter intervals were so much harder. Then I realized it was 82* (~28* C) and sunny and humid, whereas Sunday had been upper 50s (~14* C) and cloudy. That’ll do it.

3. Wednesday was National/Global Running Day, and in celebration of the fact that I could actually take part this year, I joined Runners’ World’s World’s Biggest RUNch, for one sunny mile along the river:

The run started out feeling great! Knowing I was just doing a mile, I ran at a comfortable pace without trying to slow down to something more sustainable. For a while, it looked like I might get close to my fastest mile to date – 8:42… except there were streets to cross and tourists to dodge; my fastest mile was run on an empty track.

I started to flag a bit halfway through, and waited longer than I needed to at my final street crossing to have a nice break. I was excited to see what my pace looked like when I got back to my desk and synced Simon, but it turns out Simon had a bit of a problem with my extended wait at the crosswalk… though I had been standing still, he apparently thought I was flying at a 2:11 pace. Yeah… no. Nice try though, Simon.

4. The last time I was at Target, I splurged on an on-sale espresso machine. There’s a cafe on campus that sells the BEST iced caramel lattes and I’m so addicted. However, they cost almost $5, and my bank account has been hurting a little thanks to my daily caffeine treat. So I figured I’d try making my own iced lattes at home.

A few internet recipes and some improvising of my own later, plus a fun new plastic cup to parade my beverage around in, and I’ve got myself a daily iced vanilla coconut latte. It’s nowhere near as delicious as the one from the campus cafe, but it’s a heck of a lot cheaper! And it’s still got caffeine, so it works.

5. I have MAJOR book ADD right now. I am literally in the middle of 6 books right now, and I can’t seem to really get into any of them. I hate when this happens.

And it doesn’t help that, when Drew and I were killing time between dinner and my haircut appointment Wednesday night, we popped into one of my favorite bookstores and discovered their bargain section. We spent maybe 20 minutes in there, and I walked out with a pile of 5 books. I have a problem.

Yay Friday! Who’s racing this weekend? Any other fun plans afoot?

What are you reading right now? Do you ever get a touch of book ADD?

Tell me something random!