"I Only Run in Purple." - Anisum's Road PRs in 2018

[FredtheDuck]

The problem is I always mis-remember what EA is and end up going a little fast.

FWIW, I have the same problem. I started programming them in to my iCal the week before (so tomorrow from 5:05-6:05 AM I have an appointment that says "E - 4.5 @ 12:52 + Strides." That way I can just glance down at my watch before I go.

Sounds like you had a solid week of running - good for you for making adjustments while keeping the idea of your back-to-backs in mind.

Interesting about your fueling strategy... looking forward to hearing more about how you test and adjust this (I'm still messing with mine, too).

 

[Anisum]

Week 20 (8/28-9/3):
Monday - 3mi @ EA
WednesdayTUESDAY - 1 mile @ WU + 4 mi @ Tempo + 1 mile @ CD
FridayTHURSDAY - 3mi @ EB
SaturdayFRIDAY - 5mi @ EB (BLIND!!)

So this week I switched up my schedule a little bit because I knew I would be visiting my friend and we'd be taking the train to and from the city both days so I wouldn't have time to run. Instead I pushed my schedule forward one day for every day other than Monday. Monday I woke up late and kind of rushed to get my run in so it ended up being much closer to EB than EA. Tuesday I did the Tempo as planned but went a little fast on the CD. Wednesday I rested from the tempo.

Thursday and Friday were both a little fast. Thursday was only a few seconds fast, Friday was blind and I struggled with it more than some of my other blinds (probably excitement for the coming weekend) so I ended up being a little more than 10 seconds too fast. I think if I recall most of that was on the front of the run so by the end I was closer to my desired pace but I can't tell for sure right now because Garmin Connect isn't loading in my browser. I may update the post with that later.

This coming week is going to be tough. Running in the mornings is starting to take it's toll as even when I go to bed early to prep for a 4am run I still wake up to an alarm. For reference, I try to avoid alarms when possible since I always feel better when I wake up on my own but when I have to have a run in before work that's pretty difficult. Luckily the fall is coming so I'll be able to run in the afternoon again. Yesterday I had to drive from my friend's straight to work and I'm still catching up on sleep from that visit so I didn't run this morning. I'm hesitant to run in the afternoon today because of the heat and humidity (87 with 55% humidity) but the other option is doing Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and then the race on Sunday which may be worse and I'll still miss one of my scheduled runs this week (which I would have probably made if I wasn't away). Not sure what is going to be the best option there.

Sorry no gifs this week.

 

[Anisum]

FWIW, I have the same problem. I started programming them in to my iCal the week before (so tomorrow from 5:05-6:05 AM I have an appointment that says "E - 4.5 @ 12:52 + Strides." That way I can just glance down at my watch before I go.

Sounds like you had a solid week of running - good for you for making adjustments while keeping the idea of your back-to-backs in mind.

Interesting about your fueling strategy... looking forward to hearing more about how you test and adjust this (I'm still messing with mine, too).

That's a good idea. I have my whole training plan in my calendar but I still forget to check it.

I'll definitely let you know as I continue my Dopey training.

 

[CheapRunnerMike]

Early morning runs are tough and I really struggle to do them, but my daughter had 5:30am swim practice every Monday morning last season so I got into the routine of getting up at 4:30 Monday mornings to drive her across town and then go for my run while she swam. Honestly they were some of my favourite runs all year as it is hard to beat that feeling of accomplishment to start a week off right. It also helped that there was another swim dad that I was able to run with and it kept us both accountable knowing that someone would actually miss us if we no-showed.

 

[Anisum]

Early morning runs are tough and I really struggle to do them, but my daughter had 5:30am swim practice every Monday morning last season so I got into the routine of getting up at 4:30 Monday mornings to drive her across town and then go for my run while she swam. Honestly they were some of my favourite runs all year as it is hard to beat that feeling of accomplishment to start a week off right. It also helped that there was another swim dad that I was able to run with and it kept us both accountable knowing that someone would actually miss us if we no-showed.

That sounds like a good method. Sadly, no one wants to run with me at 4:30 in the morning. I do love that feeling of accomplishment I get from running early. I just have to keep my mind on that.

 

[Anisum]

So this morning was a weird run. I decided to get one of the 3mi @ EB in that was on my schedule because we were expecting storms around 6:00am-6:30am and I didn't want to get caught out in it. Of course I thought I saw lightning just before the 2mi mark but it turned out to be someone's car lights clicking on and then off in the dark. I definitely did see a flash but no thunder at the 2.25 mi mark but since nothing else happened I figured I'd pick up the pace a little and get home. At 2.8mi it started raining and the storm came up fast (probably about 2mi away) so I bolted home. It made for very running data my last 0.2 mi is in the 9min/mi range which is not at all sustainable but interesting to see.

 

[DopeyBadger]

Of course I thought I saw lightning just before the 2mi mark but it turned out to be someone's car lights clicking on and then off in the dark.

Sounds like Lightening was testing out his headlights.

 

[DopeyBadger]

Any last minute questions before race day? Best of luck!

 

[Anisum]

Any last minute questions before race day? Best of luck!

Not this time. I'm pretty calm about this race right now. I think it's because I'm so used to the race series it's a part of it seems not too bad. The course map looks like some road and grass with four vineyard sections along the course that I'll have to run up and down the rows of so that should be good.

My biggest decision was whether I wanted to do my camelbak or rely on water stations. It looks like there will be four along the course which should be perfect for me given the weather.

Now I just have to decide what if any gel I want to take in addition to my gummies.

 

[Anisum]

Week 21 (9/4-9/10):
Monday: 4 mi @ EA
TuesdayWednesday: 3mi @ EB
Thursday: 3mi @ EB
Saturday: 3mi @ EB
Sunday: Run the Vineyards 15k

So, I missed my Monday run as I mentioned earlier. Tuesday was very hot so I ran Wednesday morning and almost got caught in a storm. That's where we left off with my random postings.

Thursday and Saturday were both pretty easy runs. Not really much to say there. After my Saturday run I went to pick up my bib for Sunday and got a fresh body glide (I was almost out) and a hat for my mother.

Let's talk about Sunday. So this was my second time running a 15k. It's the first year they've done a 15k at this winery so I wasn't sure what the course would look like. When it came out the other week I was a little nervous. Running in the vineyards (especially the rows) is a really cool experience but depending on how the soil is it can be kind of difficult to maintain a certain pace. Since I hadn't run at this winery before I was hoping for good soil. If there wasn't good soil at least I would have a free tasting and a free glass of wine to make up for it.

On Friday my Stridebox had come in with a S'mores Gu Gel that was caffeine free so I figured I would just take that in addition to my Skratch Gummies. It was a calculated risk because while I never had that particular flavor, I also never finish a full gel and I never really have problems with Gu brand.

The race itself started out nicely. It was 63F with a nice breeze and while there was 72% humidity it wasn't too bad. The start of the race course took us around a small plot of vines and onto the road for the first 3.5 miles or so. Then it was into the vineyards. I will say that the ground wasn't quite what I had hoped but that had more to do with the length of the grass width of the part that had been beaten down and flat. It was a bit of a struggle compared to the road or even the dirt paths that would come after it but I pushed through and managed to stay fairly on pace. Miles 5 and 6 took us around vineyards with dirt roads and beaten down grass making it a fairly easy trek. I lost a little bit of time at water stations but given how strong my miles on the road (my usual terrain) had been I figured it would be fine. Mile 7 was two quick runs through rows of vines and a long stretch of dirt so while I lost some time in the vines I was able to make it up. Mile 8 is where it really started to fall apart. The rows of vines seemed more narrow and less patted down (it might have been my imagination) and with nearly a full mile of struggling against the grass I slowed a lot. When I got out of the vines I struggled to maintain my footing and tried to make one more surge but it was a struggle and I continued to lose time when I made one more loop through the vines. Once that loop was done we got on the road I could see the vineyard. I was able to finish Mile 9 strong after that and my final kick was pretty good as well. I finished in 1:52:18 which is a PR for me and I beat my goal time but it was a 12:03-12:04 and and I was hoping to go closer to if not sub 12. I would like to think I could do that in a straight road race but I'm not sure.

It was a great time overall though and the course was definitely challenging on the back half. We celebrated the finish with pizza which is really all one could ask.

 

[DopeyBadger]

Congrats on the PR! Sounds like the terrain was less than ideal for a faster pace but yet you still crushed it! Well done!

Big question though - did you wear purple?

 

[Anisum]

Congrats on the PR! Sounds like the terrain was less than ideal for a faster pace but yet you still crushed it! Well done!

Big question though - did you wear purple?

Thank you! OF COURSE I RAN IN PURPLE!

I also bought a purple long sleeve tech shirt from the local running store since they had a booth at the race. It features the local running club's logo and is a nice plum color. I had seen it in the store when I went to pick up my packet but they didn't have my size. Luckily they did have my size the day of the race.

 

[roxymama]

Awesome recap!! That race sounds really cool even though the vines part would be strange to run through and I can see losing time in there, I bet it was worth it for the "not the usual scenery." 15k's are a cool distance since you don't have to keep running after 9.2 miles (ahem, cough, half marathons are so many miles, cough)

I'm glad you wore purple and are pizza too! That's really living

 

[FredtheDuck]

Congrats on the new PR! There is a 100% chance I would have tripped and fallen on a course like that, so props to you for keeping your wits about you and finishing strong.

 

[Anisum]

Awesome recap!! That race sounds really cool even though the vines part would be strange to run through and I can see losing time in there, I bet it was worth it for the "not the usual scenery." 15k's are a cool distance since you don't have to keep running after 9.2 miles (ahem, cough, half marathons are so many miles, cough)

I'm glad you wore purple and are pizza too! That's really living

It is definitely cool. It's close to harvest time so it's really pretty. The only other downside I've noticed is it's hotter between the vines because the breeze can't get through. I will say 10 milers are general my favorite (15ks are close to that right?) because then you're done. Having to do a 5k on the end is really not my favorite because I keep thinking "if this was a 10 miler I would be done now" but I am training for Dopey so clearly I must like that feeling of if I did X I would not be running right now.

Congrats on the new PR! There is a 100% chance I would have tripped and fallen on a course like that, so props to you for keeping your wits about you and finishing strong.

I really thought I would fall the first few times I did the 5k races at other vineyards. The race series has been hitting wineries in Delaware and Maryland so it's possible there is or will be one near you soon.

 

[sourire]

Congratulations on the PR! Looks like an awesome run!!

 

[Anisum]

Congratulations on the PR! Looks like an awesome run!!

Thanks! It was a lot of fun. The company also does some races that are a bit closer to you if you're ever interested.

 

[ZellyB]

Congrats on a PR on what sounds like a really challenging course!!

 

[Anisum]

Congrats on a PR on what sounds like a really challenging course!!

Thank you!

 

[CheapRunnerMike]

It's PB time!