Life After Marathons: A Running/barre3/Coffee/Life Journal

[SarahDisney]

In The Meantime ...​

Since there's no official update on the training plan (it's in progress), and I haven't decided yet if I'm going to go run in the rain or just hit the treadmill, here are some updates on the current state of my myNYRR account:



As you can see, I have completed 1 of the 9 races needed for guaranteed entry to the 2019 marathon. The next box to be filled in should be the one that’s separate from the others – I think that’s the volunteering box. I’ll check in on February 5th and let you guys know.

The Five-Borough Series Status says 1/6, but since you only need 4 races for guaranteed entry into the United Airlines NYC Half, I’m actually 25% of the way there!

Also, here’s the top of that page (the actual page has my membership number and QR code on it, that’s why it seems like there’s blank space. I erased those.)



Look at that Best Pace! 11:21 min/mile!! I’m kinda excited about that. Corral K, here I come! (I really hope they use their regular corralling for the NYC Half … I’ll be a little sad if they don’t)

(By the way … this is best 10K pace. My actual 10K PR is a pace of 10:35/mile. So I expect to see that best pace keep getting faster as I adjust to running in Central Park (the 10K PR was Roosevelt Island, which is fairly flat).)

 

[Capang]

Good morning fellow early riser (or maybe you’re a late getter-to-bedder, whichever the case may be).

You’re on your way! Training plans are tough. I’ve always used premade or pieced them together sort of haphazardly so I will be glad to read about how yours came together.

Nice pace!

 

[SarahDisney]

Good morning fellow early riser (or maybe you’re a late getter-to-bedder, whichever the case may be).

Early riser on run days. Not-as-early on other days (Also ... good morning!)

You’re on your way! Training plans are tough. I’ve always used premade or pieced them together sort of haphazardly so I will be glad to read about how yours came together.

Usually I have some vague idea of what I want to do, so not really being sure what to do for this race definitely threw me for a loop. Hopefully I'll have an update on the plan within the next few days.

Nice pace!

Thank you! I'm pretty happy about it

 

[SarahDisney]

You Can Fly: United Airlines NYC Half Marathon Training Plan​

Well, this is going to get complicated. You can’t just do something simple, can you Sarah?

Okay. Break it down. Let’s start at the beginning.

Back in December, when I got into this race, I made a training plan, which would start 1 week after the Fred Lebow Manhattan half and end a little after race day. I knew I wasn’t going to get to a long enough long run for the FLMH, so I figured I’d just start my long runs from where I left off in my FLMH training plan. Here’s the plan as it was originally made:



Going into the FLMH, I was 100% sure that I wanted to stick with this plan. For that half, I had maxed out at 10.44 miles for my long run, and I didn’t think that was enough. But after running the race … I wasn’t sure. I wouldn’t say I felt great (I was out of breath for a decent part of that race, but that also may have been hill-related), but unlike my previous races, I never hit a point where I just felt done. So I decided to look back at my previous half training plans and do some math.

Since the race is 7 weeks away, I wanted to look at the 49 days before race day for my previous plans (I made a table): (note: total mileage includes race day)


(just a note … for the Central Park half, original peak mileage week was supposed to be 2 weeks before the race, but I was travelling that week)
(also … the United NYC Half peak mileage week being so long before the race was just scheduling weirdness. Two weeks before race was scheduled for 18 miles, and I probably would have added an extra half mile at some point, making that my peak week)

As you can see, while the peak mileage varies, the total mileage is fairly similar across all of the plans. FLMH was actually the lowest total mileage (but that also had two runs missed due to injury/schedule), and United NYC Half would have been the highest, but a difference of 12 miles doesn’t seem huge to me.

After looking at the math, I really wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. I considered contacting Coach @DopeyBadger for a plan, but I wasn’t sure if the short timeframe (7 weeks to race day) would be a barrier to starting something new. But Coach seemed up to it, so I got the process started.

I know what you’re all thinking … Is this real? Has Sarah become a DopeyBadger convert? Will she no longer be making her own plans and now finally be asking someone who actually knows what they’re doing to help her? Should we add her to the support group?

I will try to answer those questions in order:

1. Yes. I think. There's a plan, a Google spreadsheet, and an Excel spreadsheet. And it's all on my Google Calendar. So maybe?
2. So … it depends how you define convert. Even though I’ve never used a Coach DB plan before, I have seen other have great success with them, so I’ve been a believer that they work for a while now … so in that sense, I converted a while ago. In the sense of actually using a plan … sure.
3. Not necessarily. For this race, I will be using a Coach DB plan. As I get closer to the race, I’ll evaluate how I think it’s going and decide what I want to do for my next stage of training. Coach DB has an interesting goal in mind for a fall HM, so I’m definitely thinking about that (especially since I was planning for an October race as my next HM anyway), but I also had some existing training thoughts for upcoming potential races, so I definitely want to try this plan and then decide what I’m going to do.
4. That’s up to you guys. I’m cool either way.

Before we get to the plan itself, a few notes on the process:

• There are a lot of questions involved in this process. In fact … there are 20. Some of them I might have answered with a slight amount of snark (for example, when asked “Why do you enjoy running? What is your motivation to run?” my answer was “I started once and I’m too stubborn to stop” (I also gave a real answer)). But a lot of these questions required more thought that I’m used to. I generally kinda just run and don’t think about it. The thinking was new. I’m not sure how I feel about it.
• Sometimes I can be very difficult in terms of scheduling. For this I tried not to be – I laid out the basic scheduling needs (which I was asked about), but didn’t go into the tiny details. I did this because I wanted to try and find a way to get every run in and not let my life schedule cause trouble. We’ll see if it works out. I’m not going to overextend myself to get all the runs in, but I’m also not going to let my schedule be an excuse.
• Coach DB is very adaptable. He sent me some intervals to look at, and while the pacing was fine, the intervals themselves were not something that my Garmin would be able to handle (it only handles intervals that end in :00 or :30). So I sent him back to the drawing board, and very shortly after, I had intervals that my Garmin would be happy with. (Pacing was still okay, although I think it will take me some time to adjust to new paces just in general)
• There was a lot of information that came with the plan. Like, stuff about form and foot strike and dietary suggestions (surprisingly, it wasn’t my usual diet of chocolate and coffee). It’s a lot to absorb. I’m still absorbing it. It’s all good info, but for someone who has basically just done her own thing without really thinking about it too much … it’s a lot. It took me a few hours to read over everything Coach DB sent over and make some notes (then again, part of that time is because I was also making a google spreadsheet).

Okay, so, that’s some background. Now, the plan itself.

Here are my paces, as assigned by Coach DB:


The top is the average paces, and the bottom is the walk/run breakdown.
So, for those of you who aren’t inside my head, some of these paces may seem a little fast. I mean, I just ran an 11:58 min/mile HM, why is my HM Tempo pace 10:49?
This actually does not surprise me. This race was not intended to be a test of my speed. My plan was to just finish, and I did that. I think some of my other races from last year (including a 1:05:36 10K and a 30:40 5K) are better indications of what I’m capable of, and while I wouldn’t have guessed that I could run that pace for a HM now, it’s not totally outside the realm of possibility to me.
(The marathon time freaks me out a bit, but … we’re not there yet)

And now … the plan itself:

Yes, that is tiny and very difficult to read. Now you know why it took me hours to get through the plan – there’s a lot of detail in the spreadsheet I made.

Here’s a more readable but less detailed sheet:


Easy/LR is intervals of 60 seconds run @ 12:13 / 30 seconds walk @ 16:00
HM Tempo is intervals of 120 seconds run @ 10:00 / 30 seconds walk @ 16:00
Easy Continuous is continuous running@ 12:28
10K is intervals of 120 seconds run @ 9:30 / 30 seconds @ 16:00

I’m feeling good about this. Excited to get started on Tuesday and see how it goes.

I probably won’t be posting every week’s detailed schedule, but here’s this week’s, just for reference:


I’m not at all convinced that I’ll hit my pace on Tuesday, but we’ll see how that goes.
Another thing I have to think about is foot strike/cadence. My watch doesn’t measure cadence, but based on some math involving my Fitbit, my cadence is kinda low. I found an app that measures your cadence while GPS tracking your run, so I’m going to see what that says, and then starting on Thursday I’ll try to use a metronome to slowly increase my cadence (although me sticking to a metronome may be impossible …).

So … that’s it. It’s a lot. I’m still taking it all in. But I’m excited. I think it will go well.

(Also ... if you read to the end of this, thank you! I know that was super long and kinda boring)

 

[jennamfeo]

(Also ... if you read to the end of this, thank you! I know that was super long and kinda boring)

Totally read it all and it wasn't nearly as boring as doing my work, haha. I am super excited for you to start your Dopey Badger Plan! Can't wait to hear how it works out for you!

 

[run.minnie.miles]

You Can Fly: United Airlines NYC Half Marathon Training Plan​

Well, this is going to get complicated. You can’t just do something simple, can you Sarah?

Okay. Break it down. Let’s start at the beginning.

Back in December, when I got into this race, I made a training plan, which would start 1 week after the Fred Lebow Manhattan half and end a little after race day. I knew I wasn’t going to get to a long enough long run for the FLMH, so I figured I’d just start my long runs from where I left off in my FLMH training plan. Here’s the plan as it was originally made:

View attachment 298782

Going into the FLMH, I was 100% sure that I wanted to stick with this plan. For that half, I had maxed out at 10.44 miles for my long run, and I didn’t think that was enough. But after running the race … I wasn’t sure. I wouldn’t say I felt great (I was out of breath for a decent part of that race, but that also may have been hill-related), but unlike my previous races, I never hit a point where I just felt done. So I decided to look back at my previous half training plans and do some math.

Since the race is 7 weeks away, I wanted to look at the 49 days before race day for my previous plans (I made a table): (note: total mileage includes race day)

View attachment 298783
(just a note … for the Central Park half, original peak mileage week was supposed to be 2 weeks before the race, but I was travelling that week)
(also … the United NYC Half peak mileage week being so long before the race was just scheduling weirdness. Two weeks before race was scheduled for 18 miles, and I probably would have added an extra half mile at some point, making that my peak week)

As you can see, while the peak mileage varies, the total mileage is fairly similar across all of the plans. FLMH was actually the lowest total mileage (but that also had two runs missed due to injury/schedule), and United NYC Half would have been the highest, but a difference of 12 miles doesn’t seem huge to me.

After looking at the math, I really wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. I considered contacting Coach @DopeyBadger for a plan, but I wasn’t sure if the short timeframe (7 weeks to race day) would be a barrier to starting something new. But Coach seemed up to it, so I got the process started.

I know what you’re all thinking … Is this real? Has Sarah become a DopeyBadger convert? Will she no longer be making her own plans and now finally be asking someone who actually knows what they’re doing to help her? Should we add her to the support group?

I will try to answer those questions in order:

1. Yes. I think. There's a plan, a Google spreadsheet, and an Excel spreadsheet. And it's all on my Google Calendar. So maybe?
2. So … it depends how you define convert. Even though I’ve never used a Coach DB plan before, I have seen other have great success with them, so I’ve been a believer that they work for a while now … so in that sense, I converted a while ago. In the sense of actually using a plan … sure.
3. Not necessarily. For this race, I will be using a Coach DB plan. As I get closer to the race, I’ll evaluate how I think it’s going and decide what I want to do for my next stage of training. Coach DB has an interesting goal in mind for a fall HM, so I’m definitely thinking about that (especially since I was planning for an October race as my next HM anyway), but I also had some existing training thoughts for upcoming potential races, so I definitely want to try this plan and then decide what I’m going to do.
4. That’s up to you guys. I’m cool either way.

Before we get to the plan itself, a few notes on the process:

• There are a lot of questions involved in this process. In fact … there are 20. Some of them I might have answered with a slight amount of snark (for example, when asked “Why do you enjoy running? What is your motivation to run?” my answer was “I started once and I’m too stubborn to stop” (I also gave a real answer)). But a lot of these questions required more thought that I’m used to. I generally kinda just run and don’t think about it. The thinking was new. I’m not sure how I feel about it.
• Sometimes I can be very difficult in terms of scheduling. For this I tried not to be – I laid out the basic scheduling needs (which I was asked about), but didn’t go into the tiny details. I did this because I wanted to try and find a way to get every run in and not let my life schedule cause trouble. We’ll see if it works out. I’m not going to overextend myself to get all the runs in, but I’m also not going to let my schedule be an excuse.
• Coach DB is very adaptable. He sent me some intervals to look at, and while the pacing was fine, the intervals themselves were not something that my Garmin would be able to handle (it only handles intervals that end in :00 or :30). So I sent him back to the drawing board, and very shortly after, I had intervals that my Garmin would be happy with. (Pacing was still okay, although I think it will take me some time to adjust to new paces just in general)
• There was a lot of information that came with the plan. Like, stuff about form and foot strike and dietary suggestions (surprisingly, it wasn’t my usual diet of chocolate and coffee). It’s a lot to absorb. I’m still absorbing it. It’s all good info, but for someone who has basically just done her own thing without really thinking about it too much … it’s a lot. It took me a few hours to read over everything Coach DB sent over and make some notes (then again, part of that time is because I was also making a google spreadsheet).

Okay, so, that’s some background. Now, the plan itself.

Here are my paces, as assigned by Coach DB:

View attachment 298784
The top is the average paces, and the bottom is the walk/run breakdown.
So, for those of you who aren’t inside my head, some of these paces may seem a little fast. I mean, I just ran an 11:58 min/mile HM, why is my HM Tempo pace 10:49?
This actually does not surprise me. This race was not intended to be a test of my speed. My plan was to just finish, and I did that. I think some of my other races from last year (including a 1:05:36 10K and a 30:40 5K) are better indications of what I’m capable of, and while I wouldn’t have guessed that I could run that pace for a HM now, it’s not totally outside the realm of possibility to me.
(The marathon time freaks me out a bit, but … we’re not there yet)

And now … the plan itself:
View attachment 298785
Yes, that is tiny and very difficult to read. Now you know why it took me hours to get through the plan – there’s a lot of detail in the spreadsheet I made.

Here’s a more readable but less detailed sheet:
View attachment 298786

Easy/LR is intervals of 60 seconds run @ 12:13 / 30 seconds walk @ 16:00
HM Tempo is intervals of 120 seconds run @ 10:00 / 30 seconds walk @ 16:00
Easy Continuous is continuous running@ 12:28
10K is intervals of 120 seconds run @ 9:30 / 30 seconds @ 16:00

I’m feeling good about this. Excited to get started on Tuesday and see how it goes.

I probably won’t be posting every week’s detailed schedule, but here’s this week’s, just for reference:
View attachment 298787

I’m not at all convinced that I’ll hit my pace on Tuesday, but we’ll see how that goes.
Another thing I have to think about is foot strike/cadence. My watch doesn’t measure cadence, but based on some math involving my Fitbit, my cadence is kinda low. I found an app that measures your cadence while GPS tracking your run, so I’m going to see what that says, and then starting on Thursday I’ll try to use a metronome to slowly increase my cadence (although me sticking to a metronome may be impossible …).

So … that’s it. It’s a lot. I’m still taking it all in. But I’m excited. I think it will go well.

(Also ... if you read to the end of this, thank you! I know that was super long and kinda boring)

I actually really enjoyed reading all of your detail- thanks for sharing! Excited to follow along as you embark on your new plan.

 

[SarahDisney]

Totally read it all and it wasn't nearly as boring as doing my work, haha. I am super excited for you to start your Dopey Badger Plan! Can't wait to hear how it works out for you!

Thank you - it's good to know that I'm not as boring as work

I actually really enjoyed reading all of your detail- thanks for sharing! Excited to follow along as you embark on your new plan.

Thanks for reading!

 

[FredtheDuck]

Not boring, I also read the whole thing. I do want to chime in and say that I routinely don't think I can hit the paces DB sets for me for the distances that I'm supposed to hit them for, but (assuming I can get in to a good running groove on a given day) I routinely surprise myself. I bet you will, too. Looking forward to following along.

 

[ZellyB]

YAY! I'm caught up. It's been crazy at home since returning from Dopey weekend, so trying to get caught up with all my journal reads again!

Random thoughts for like 2 weeks worth of updates

• You look adorable running!
• Congrats on your race and that's too many hills
• I loved your Starbucks story. Sounds totally like something I'd do
• I'm also on a newly minted DB plan and very excited about it as well

 

[Capang]

I've read all of what you posted-a few times. I am really excited for you! I bet you crush those paces!

 

[SarahDisney]

Not boring, I also read the whole thing. I do want to chime in and say that I routinely don't think I can hit the paces DB sets for me for the distances that I'm supposed to hit them for, but (assuming I can get in to a good running groove on a given day) I routinely surprise myself. I bet you will, too. Looking forward to following along.

Thanks for reading!
I'm hoping you're right - I tend to be all over the place with my pacing, so I'm worried about going too fast then going too slow to compensate and then going too fast again, etc. But we'll see how it goes.

YAY! I'm caught up. It's been crazy at home since returning from Dopey weekend, so trying to get caught up with all my journal reads again!

Thanks for taking the time to catch up!

• You look adorable running!

Thank you. I don't know that "adorable" is the word I would have used (more like awkward), but thank you!

• Congrats on your race and that's too many hills

Thank you! And agreed. Very much agreed. Next time I sign up for a race in Central Park, I'm looking at the map before I register to make sure it skips the worst hills.
(Yeah, I'm never actually going to do that)

• I loved your Starbucks story. Sounds totally like something I'd do

It's becoming increasingly apparent that I'm not the only one here who has bathroom issues. Which is a little interesting...

• I'm also on a newly minted DB plan and very excited about it as well

Yay!! Hopefully both of our new plans will work out well!

I've read all of what you posted-a few times. I am really excited for you! I bet you crush those paces!

Thank you! I hope you're right about the paces!

 

[SarahDisney]

Update:
The June race I'm looking at is now called the Italy Run by Ferrero (I will update the race list on the first page with that information eventually). If they don't give out Nutella at this race, I'm gonna be pissed.

 

[SarahDisney]

Update Again:
NYRR is doing another virtual 5K. I can't figure out if this one is suggested donation (but not required) or "suggested" (aka required) donation. I figured I should probably get through my first run on the new plan before I start signing up for everything. (If I do sign up, I'll just do one of my normal runs as the race - I don't do these virtual races for time, I do them for the useless Strava badges)

 

[SarahDisney]

A Few Small Things​

Just a few small tidbits I wanted to share ... random assorted thoughts.

Race Scheduling:
- I changed the name of the Nutella race (as I will now call it) in the first post
- The May 13th "Japan Run" now has an asterisk, and a new race, the NB 5th Ave Mile, was added, also with an asterisk. Long story short, there's an outside chance that I may not be around on May 13th (we're talking less than 10% chance here), so I added a new race to my schedule in case I can't make the Japan Run. The timing of the 5th Ave mile isn't great, but if I do end up doing that race ... I'm going for a sub-9:00 as my time. Possibly even sub-8:30. We'll see how I'm feeling then.

Volunteering:
- I got all my volunteering info this week. I check in at 7:00am on the East Side, check out at 11:30. If I bring a bag, I have to check it. I get a hat at the end. That's basically it.
- Currently, the plan is to run my 7 miler in the park after the race. I don't think I'm going to bring a bag, so I'll bring my little water bottle on my belt and some cash to buy a water bottle from a hot dog stand or something in the park if I need more water. I might change my mind and come home and run here, but we'll see.

The New Plan:
- Today was my first HM tempo run. Paces weren't perfect, but they were fine. Possibly more on that eventually.

Virtual Races:
- I signed up for another one. We'll talk about it later.

I was going to add some thoughts on Top Chef (because I feel like people here watch it), but I'm too tired. I had a long day and a late night yesterday (Wednesdays ...) and I'm still kinda catching up. Feel free to discuss Top Chef without me, though, and I'll chime in when I have the energy. (Just a heads up: I rarely watch live, so maybe no spoilers until like Saturday night)

 

[Bree]

What? Top Chef started? Catching up on training journals will need to wait LOL!!! Gotta go find the missed episodes to catch up on.

 

[SarahDisney]

What? Top Chef started? Catching up on training journals will need to wait LOL!!! Gotta go find the missed episodes to catch up on.

Yeah, it started a while ago, I just keep forgetting to mention it. Enjoy your Top Chef watching!

 

[ZellyB]

I'm so jealous of people who live in large cities with so many race opportunities. It is slim pickins here.

Also, TOP CHEF!!!! I love Top Chef and love this season. Just watched the latest episode last night.

Spoiler: Don't read if you haven't watched latest episode

I was really bummed to see Chicago Joe go home on the sudden death quick fire. He was one of my favorites and such a bummer after just winning Restaurant Wars. I'm not sure I really have a favorite this season now that Chicago Joe is gone. I like Bruce a lot, but I think his days are numbered after Padma's remark about his pasta. Of course, I think that's some of that can't win thing with Top Chef. I think he resorted to his standby, apparently amazing, stuff since Tom called him out on trying new stuff and struggling and why didn't he just cook his normally great food, and now he gets picked on for doing his normal stuff (although admittedly that's all he's been doing lately). Carrie has grown on me a lot. After initially seeming to be one of the weaker chefs, it's nice to see her coming on now, but I was surprised that a toast offering won the quickfire. She still seems to lack some creativity to me. Poor Fatima. I liked her and liked the different cuisine she brought to the show as well. I'll also say I was happy to see Claudette go both times although she must be a fireball in Last Chance Kitchen (which I don't watch but read about later) although I just read that Brother Luck (LOVE HIM) beat her out. So, now do I want Brother or Chicago Joe to win there. UGH. I'm sure I have multiple other thoughts, but that's all I can think of right now.

 

[jennamfeo]

I'm so jealous of people who live in large cities with so many race opportunities. It is slim pickins here.

Same. If I only had to buy an entry fee to a race and not drive/fly, hotel, food, etc... Life would be so much easier.

My coffee burnt my tongue this morning. Just wanted to add something to the coffee chat.
I don't watch much TV, so I am just gonna read all the Top Chef spoilers posted here.

 

[SarahDisney]

I'm so jealous of people who live in large cities with so many race opportunities. It is slim pickins here.

There's a simple solution ... move to a big city
Living in a big city has its pros and cons ... there's a lot of everything, but that includes good things (like races) and bad things (like congestion and traffic and and terrible subway delays).

Also, TOP CHEF!!!! I love Top Chef and love this season. Just watched the latest episode last night.

Spoiler: Don't read if you haven't watched latest episode

undefined

I will come back and read the spoiler after I watch the episode!!

Same. If I only had to buy an entry fee to a race and not drive/fly, hotel, food, etc... Life would be so much easier.

Yeah, it is pretty great. I don't love the subway commute (because they're always doing work on weekends), but I'll take a long commute that costs $2.75 over having to pay for a flight, hotel, etc.

My coffee burnt my tongue this morning. Just wanted to add something to the coffee chat.

Oh no! That's so sad!

I don't watch much TV, so I am just gonna read all the Top Chef spoilers posted here.

Hopefully we can give you all of the highlights with less of the drama (although really, the drama is one of the highlights...)

 

[SarahDisney]

Update:
I'm wearing my fleece vest tomorrow, and I can fit a 16.9oz Dasani bottle (that I stole from Google) in there, so that's my water situation for tomorrow (uncapping is annoying, but I can just drink while walking). I don't know that I need the fleece vest, but the pockets are good. Also, I may end up having a donut for breakfast because it's easy to grab and eat on the train (I will also have Starbucks frappuccino bottle, because that's something I can just grab out of the fridge, finish, and throw out the bottle when I'm done. The goal is to not have a bag). Post run I'll head to Duane Reade (or CVS or whatever) on my way to the subway to grab some chocolate milk and/or bottled coffee beverage (if I get one with sugar, it has protein and carbs ... it just also has caffeine) and possibly a snack for the ride home.
Also ... there will be some hunting down of Central Park bathrooms tomorrow. Normally I don't love park bathrooms, but I can handle the CP bathrooms if I have to. And I will have to.

Don't you guys just love my random stream of consciousness updates??