Jenny's (& Jordan's) Star Wars Training Journal (Comments Welcome!)

[JennysSeven]

Had a great run tonight! 4.58 miles instead of my planned 5, because our schedule got all out of whack and I didn't allow enough time before I had to pick up my daughter from dance. Fortunately her studio is at the entrance of our subdivision so we just ran there on our way back rather than having to make it back to the house and drive.

I've been getting way too concerned about all the stats on my watch, so this time I decided to just enjoy running and not worry about all the numbers. Jordan and I went together, and chatted while we ran, so that was nice. And in spite of chatting, stopping at street crossings to wait for the lights (we left the neighborhood for the main roads), running into a gas station so Jordan could use the bathroom, and generally just keeping it light and fun, I ended up going faster overall than my previous 5-mile runs. So go figure, LOL! I wasn't remotely consistent, but I also wasn't trying to be. Splits were 12:08, 13:06, 14:45 (the bathroom trip was in here and I didn't think to pause the timer), 13:02, and the last .58 was 8:21 (14:24 pace). And I wasn't exhausted at the end and could've continued.

I also stopped by the running store today and picked up a variety of gels, chews, powders to put in water, etc. to try. I think I've hit that point where my longer runs are long enough to start figuring out nutrition. They all sound nasty. I'm kind of afraid to try them. I'll start with my 8-mile run scheduled for this weekend. Ick. LOL!

 

[JennysSeven]

Thoughts from today's run...

1. Don't think "Oh, it's the shortest run of the week so I'll just run it really fast (for me)." Nope, doesn't end well.
2. Pay attention to the weather. It's been cool lately, but today is 64 degrees and full sun, and I wore long black leggings and a black 3/4 sleeve tee. And I overheat at much less than that. I got home and my face was the color of a lobster. (Not sunburned, just overheated)

Otherwise, it was fine LOL. 3.1 miles. Splits of 11:35 (too fast to sustain), 12:53, 13:42, and 1:08 (11:09 m/m) for the last tenth. Walked most of the last half mile. 39:19 total.

I'm finding as I get further into this journey that I actually enjoy running. At first it was kind of a "let's see if I can do this" kind of thing, and then it was a "I'm determined to prove that I CAN do this" (as in get to where I can finish the half-marathon next spring) kind of thing. But now I'm finding that instead of making myself get out the door to go run, I'm actually looking forward to it and enjoying the process, rather than just being glad I got it done. (This might not always apply to the final mile when I start out too fast, though. Ha!)

We'll see how 8 miles goes over the weekend. I've been doing each new longest distance first on the treadmill, since I don't trust my pacing and obviously the treadmill will do that for me. But it's soooooo boring! I'm thinking about trying this one outside and just really trying to watch my pacing, especially early on. The longest run I've done outdoors so far is 5 miles, and I did manage to pace that one pretty well in the 14:20 range so it should be possible to do so for 8 miles. I'd probably aim for 15:00, since it's more miles.

 

[JennysSeven]

Actually, looking back at Tuesday night's run, my overall pace was just a little bit slower than today's and it felt great and I wasn't tired at the end. That makes me think that perhaps the heat is a bigger factor than the slightly faster start in today's run. Tuesday night was a good 15-20 degrees cooler and of course, no full sun. Hmmm, things to ponder. (Because I don't over analyze things enough as it is.)

 

[DopeyBadger]

Actually, looking back at Tuesday night's run, my overall pace was just a little bit slower than today's and it felt great and I wasn't tired at the end. That makes me think that perhaps the heat is a bigger factor than the slightly faster start in today's run. Tuesday night was a good 15-20 degrees cooler and of course, no full sun. Hmmm, things to ponder. (Because I don't over analyze things enough as it is.)

Well speaking of overanalyzing things, here I am. I use the following chart to adjust my pacing for changes in temperature and dew point:



So if the temp is 60 with a dew point of 40, then I run an unadjusted pace. If the temp is 70 with a dew point of 65 (T+D =135), then I adjust my paces by +2.5%. I've found in general these adjustments get me close to my "effort" based gauge of how a pace should feel. So certainly the temp and solar radiation will slow you down. Accept that and if you slow down you'll reap the same benefits from the workout. If you try to push the pace in the heat, then you're more likely to push the pace too far into a new physiological area you weren't intending on challenging for that particular run.

Good luck on your weekend long run! You can do it!

 

[JennysSeven]

8 miles down! And a very pleasant outdoor run instead of a monotonous slog on the treadmill. Yay!

I did go a little bit faster than I had planned, but it ended up being fine. I think my "easy" pace is a bit faster than I thought, or at least it's increasing a bit as I go along. Our route was mostly green belt and roads/paved trails through our local big park, but there was one part along a main/busy road with no sidewalk and no shoulder, that we had planned to just run in the grass--turns out the grassy side slopes down to a ditch and was nearly impossible to run on (I thought I was going to slide out of the sides of my shoes the slope was so bad) so we walked a good 1/3 of the 3rd mile. We also took a quick break (and paused the garmin) to use a restroom and refill our water bottles in the park, but otherwise ran the whole way.

Splits were 13:17, 13:54, 14:51 (the one with the walking), 14:10, 13:53, 13:40, 13:06, and 13:30. Average 13:47. I was thinking the pace to shoot for was going to be more like 14:15, but this felt pretty good. The effort felt fairly even. I'm guessing elevation contributed somewhat to the time differences as well. It was only a total elevation gain of 279 ft. which I'm sure isn't much, but when I hit those slight uphills I definitely feel the difference!

We tried the nutrition--I tried a raspberry chocolate pouch of something a little thinner than a gel (closer to the texture of a squeezable apple sauce) that wasn't exactly gross, but it was soooo sweet. Jordan tried a GU that was strawberry something or other and thought it was nasty! I about died laughing as he reacted to it. He'll be trying something completely different next time.

 

[JennysSeven]

This week's plan is to do 4 miles Tuesday (done!), 3 miles Thursday, and 5 miles Saturday or Sunday. I'm using @DopeyBadger's suggestion to make this a bit of an extended taper before doing (I think) 2, 2, and 2 next week before our 10-miler. Jordan is having to rest a bit as his knees have started bothering him. If a few days' rest doesn't do the trick, I'll take him in and see if we need to get x-rays to check for any issues.

Yesterday's 4 miles went well. Ran around the neighborhood just making up the route as I went, going by the Garmin for distance. Other than wishing my neighborhood was flatter (Ha!), these runs outside are SO much more pleasant than running on the treadmill! It's still a bit warmer than I like (we're in the mid-60s) but nothing like earlier in the fall so I won't complain.

Splits were 13:20, 13:34, 13:20, and finally 12:22. I must be subconsciously getting really excited to be done and go home, because it seems like I've been going faster at the end lately.

My Garmin has been fluctuating between maintaining and recovering (with one day when it dipped to unproductive) for "training status" for the whole almost 4 weeks I've been using it. Yesterday it hit peaking for the first time, which was kind of cool since I'm rather obsessed with all these stats I don't fully understand yet. I'm guessing that status won't last almost 2 weeks until our 10-miler, but that's okay. I feel really confident that I'll be able to complete the distance, and only slightly less confident that I'll be able to actually run all of it. A month or 2 ago I was MUCH less certain! So I'm pleased with how my progress is going so far.

I need to start thinking about goals (besides just completing the Star Wars half) for next year--come up with other running goals perhaps and some other fitness goals. I could really use some strength training and core work, for instance. Things to think through and plan over the holiday break.

 

[JennysSeven]

I never updated finishing out last week. My schedule has been way off what with last-minute holiday shopping and activities, but I have been doing my running! Last week was 4 miles Tuesday, 3 miles Thursday, and was supposed to be 5 miles on Saturday or Sunday but I put it off until Sunday and then had to squeeze it in between my parents dropping by as they were passing through town on the way to my grandmother's house, and going to look at neighborhood Christmas lights with the kids. So it ended up being 4 miles instead of 5.

This week is supposed to be three 2-mile runs, and then a 10-mile race on Sunday! Ran 2 miles this afternoon (13:51 & 13:47 splits) then walked the dog while 2 of my boys rode their new bikes. So it was more like using every bit of strength I had to hold the dog back, because she really REALLY wanted to keep up with the boys! She's only a couple days past 6 months old--I can only imagine how strong she's going to be full grown.

Jordan ran with no knee pain today, so hopefully he's rested them enough to do the trick. He's going for a POT for the Star Wars HM at the 10-miler we're doing on Sunday. If his knees don't bother him he should have no problem getting a viable POT. I'm not going for POT, but I'm going to try to continuously run the entire distance, which will require starting off more slowly than I've done in the past, and hopefully pace myself such that I can increase my pace just a bit in the last miles rather than crashing near the end.

 

[JennysSeven]

This morning was the Austin Rockin Resolution 10-miler that we've been planning on for awhile as a PoT run for Jordan and a race at a longer distance for me. (My only races have been 5Ks, and my longest training run ever prior to today was 8 miles.) It was 37 degrees and raining off and on, so that made things a bit more interesting, lol. The past several weeks we've been running in the 50s and 60s. I actually prefer running when it's colder, so 37 is great, but I'm not as fond of cold rain!

Jordan got his PoT! He finished in 1:47:06, which was also 3rd in his age group. They had the lowest age group as 1-19, lol...I didn't see any toddlers running the 10-miler. There was also a 20-mile distance, which was the 10-mile loop twice, and that distance had pace groups. I never saw Jordan after we split up at the starting line, but he joined the 3-hour pace group for the 20 miler and ran with them for a few miles, then realized it was a bit too fast for him and dropped back, eventually falling in with the 3:30 pace group for most of his last 5-6 miles.

I finished in 2:12:53. Splits of 13:18, 13:36, 13:42, 12:33, 13:03, 12:40, 12:39, 12:57, 13:34, and 13:18. Those numbers won't add up exactly because I actually ended up .23 miles over 10 miles according to my Garmin, and I forgot to stop the timer until we walked around for about 3 minutes afterwards. So some of that .23 mile is my poor tangent running, and therefore included in my chip time, and some of it is in the fraction of an 11th mile recorded by the Garmin. Next time I'll have to do better to remember to hit the button as I cross the finish line!

I was able to run the entire time! My plan was to start out slower and then pick it up a bit if I felt good, with the hopes that I wouldn't pick it up too much and crash at the end. The last mile definitely felt hard (and had a decent incline in it--twice) but it wasn't my slowest. I was glad to be done at the end, but didn't feel nearly as tired as I did after the 5Ks where I clearly started out too fast.

Overall I'm happy with how it went. I had been hoping that by this race I would have progressed to the point of being able to get a PoT, but I made peace with the fact that I'm not there yet a few weeks ago and was able to enjoy running without the stress of trying to beat a time I'm not quite ready for. I went into the race this morning anticipating a finish between 2:10 and 2:15, and nailed that.

I know this is silly since I've been running for 11 months now, but when I was about half way through the 9th mile, when every step at that point was the farthest I have ever run, I suddenly thought to myself, "Hey, you're a runner now!" LOL. I don't know why it has taken me this long to be able to think I'm actually a "real" runner.

 

[Kazrak]

Nicely done! Congratulations!

 

[michigandergirl]

I always forgot to hit the stop button on my Garmin too.

Congrats on your first 10 Miler!!!

 

[Jules76126]

Just catching up after the holidays. Congrats on a great race.

 

[JennysSeven]

I received an email from runDisney this morning reminding me to start preparing for Star Wars weekend. Eeeeek! Only 89 more days!!! I'm more excited than nervous that it's finally getting close, so I guess that's good!

As of this past Wednesday I'm training for the half with a shiny new custom training plan courtesy of @DopeyBadger! I'm so excited to have a plan and some guidance, after basically winging it through the fall. I was following a plan I found online as far as number of runs/distances, but was just totally winging things like pacing. I never thought I'd say this since I'm a slow runner, but my challenge so far is having to make myself slow down!

Wednesday was 2 miles @ EA--15:47. I did 2 miles at 15:31 and 15:15, while constantly checking the Garmin and trying to correct. It was also 34 degrees with a steady rain. I think part of my problem was my brain subconsciously telling me to hurry up and finish and get out of the rain!

Today was 3 miles @ EB--14:44 +strides. Again, a bit too fast at 14:02, 14:32 (I was a little bit closer here!), and 13:39. The last mile included the strides. Those were FUN! Even harder to try to slow back down to 14:44 after each one though. I'll keep concentrating on getting those paces right and I'll eventually get there! Oh, and today it is 63 degrees and sunny, so back to tee shirts and sweat. Gotta love the fickle central Texas weather!

Tomorrow is 3 miles at long run, which at 14:21 is still slower than what I've managed to average. But it'll also be my first time running 2 days back-to-back, so maybe that will help me slow down a bit more.

 

[michigandergirl]

I got that email this morning too! I get really excited and then I remember I've got to get through winter first...

 

[JennysSeven]

I got that email this morning too! I get really excited and then I remember I've got to get through winter first...

We'll have maybe 10 more days of winter here...interspersed over the next 2 1/2 months. It's 73 here today. I will admit though that as much as I prefer cold to hot, Michigan winters would probably have me rethinking that preference.

 

[JennysSeven]

Last run of week 1 is done! Three miles at LR--14:21. Finally got an interval right! Granted it was the final mile of the 3, but I'm counting it as my first pacing success. Splits were 14:04, 13:54, and 14:22. I think it would be a lot easier to get a feel for what the different paces feel like if I wasn't constantly running up and down inclines. No one part of my neighborhood is super steep, but it's full of pretty constant ups and downs. I need to see if I can find a level area somewhere nearby to run on, to see if that makes a difference. I catch myself running quite a bit faster on the downhill stretches, even though the effort is easier.

I updated Jordan's Star Wars registration with his proof of time last night, and booked our plane tickets today. This is getting real!!

 

[DopeyBadger]

I think it would be a lot easier to get a feel for what the different paces feel like if I wasn't constantly running up and down inclines. No one part of my neighborhood is super steep, but it's full of pretty constant ups and downs. I need to see if I can find a level area somewhere nearby to run on, to see if that makes a difference. I catch myself running quite a bit faster on the downhill stretches, even though the effort is easier.

And that's definitely a very important point. You will and should run the uphill slower and the downhill faster, and not necessarily goal pace. When the elevation gains and losses are present, it means the "pace goal" is slightly adjusted. Strava has a nice feature called "GAP" (Grade Adjusted Pacing) which I find quite useful. It's something you can look at post-run to see how close to goal pace you were. So when in hilly conditions, look at GAP instead of actual pace. How does that help with in the moment training though? That's when you rely on effort and what a run "feels" like. Over the course of the next several weeks the goal is to really focus on what each pace feels like and specifically when on flat ground. That's the effort of that pace. So that when you start to climb or descend you maintain a very similar effort. The uphill and downhill unfortunately don't cancel. So more commonly you should be on the plus side of goal pace when dealing with hilly terrain. Looks like you're on the right path to figuring these things out.

 

[JennysSeven]

Today's run was 3 miles @EA (15:47). Ended up with splits of 15:15, 15:51, and 15:31. Another day of just one mile being within range of the goal pace. I did have longer stretches of time this time around where I was staying much more consistent on the pace when I checked my watch, so I think I'll eventually figure this out. We went to our big park today hoping to find a nice flat spot to run among all the sports fields, and ended up finding a group of soccer fields encircled by a sidewalk. It was about a 6/10ths of a mile loop, and about as flat as we get around here (39 feet of elevation gain over the 3 miles). I think that made it much easier to concentrate on what the pace feels like. Being on a big loop also made it much easier for Jordan to run at his pace, which was nice. I think he was running at around 11 minute miles.

Tomorrow we're supposed to drop back down to highs in the high 50s temperature-wise for the next week or so. That will be SO much nicer! It was mid-70s today when we went for our run.

 

[JennysSeven]

Today was my first speed workout. I'm still having trouble hitting the correct paces. I was pretty consistent on the paces I did do (not counting the recovery intervals) but that probably doesn't count. I'll keep working on it...

Anyway, assuming I was reading the plan correctly it was supposed to be a warm up mile @ 16:51, 4 - 1/4 mile intervals at 11:37 each with 1/4 mile recovery at 16:51 after the first 3 and a final cool down mile at 16:51 after the last one. The first step in this was watching a video to figure out how to set the Garmin to measure 1/4 mile at a time, lol. Then we headed out.

Warm up mile 1 pace: 16:26
Speed interval paces: 11:24, 11:20, 11:22, and 11:25
Recovery interval paces: 16:23, 15:57, and 15:40 (so pretty much all over the place--ugh)
Cool down mile pace: 16:28

Thoughts...16:51 is sloooooow, like it feels awkward to run that slowly. Should I be walking that warm up and cool down rather than trying to run it?

That was more challenging than I expected it to be, especially going from the warm up speed to the first interval. There's a bigger difference between mid-16s and mid-11s than I was expecting. The other 3 speed intervals were easier to transition into. Overall it felt like a good workout but I definitely could've kept going, so not super tired at the end.

Temperature was 59 and sunny with a nice breeze. SO much better than mid-70s!!!

 

[DopeyBadger]

You could do EA or EB pace for the WU/RI pace instead. Really the goal is to be recovered enough from one interval to the next that it doesn't prevent you from being able to do it. As the workouts increase in difficulty, you may naturally find the RI pace will slow.

 

[huggybuff]

I’m rooting for you! You will rock SW weekend!!!