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

[SarahDisney]

Yesterday I was pain-free. Today ... less pain-free. Gonna go for a walk in a few hours (in the cold) and see where to go from there.

 

[SarahDisney]

It's been an interesting few days.
Last night I ran into a friend in the stairwell and ended up in her apartment. I announced my decision to retire from running, but also told her roommate that I'm going to nag her to sign up for the Princess Half next year (she's doing the yoga/5K this year, which is how it came up).
Today I was talking to another friend who is doing the same race as me in March and I kinda admitted for the first (probably) time that I'm afraid to do another long run because of the back thing. So I have a lot of thinking to do about how the next month will go. I might end up going back to up 3 days a week just to get in more running, even if its shorter runs.

 

[SarahDisney]

United NYC Half Training: Week Four
2/14/2022 - 2/20/2022​

The Plan:
????

The Actual:
1 run (2.63 miles), 2 barre3 classes (1 in-person, 1 online video), 2 walks (2.65 mi)

The Details:
Monday:
1.29 mile walk. My original plan was to do a livestream barre class but sometimes the app does this thing where it doesn’t let me book classes too close to my membership renewal date and I didn’t want to fight with the app so I just decided to walk instead. Walk was good, would have gone a little farther but it was chilly. Back hurt a bit when I got back from the walk. So definitely still not 100%, but getting there/

Tuesday:
barre3 30-minute online class. A little back pain at the beginning but otherwise good. Heart rate sensor on my Garmin had somehow gotten turned off without me noticing so I didn’t have that info, but I was able to fix it and we’re all good now.

Wednesday:
Rest Day. I slept in a bit because I was grouchy and then wound up reading in bed for an hour. Didn't get out of bed until after 9 and forgot that I had a 10:30am meeting so that was fun.

Thursday:
2.63 mile run, 34:07 minutes, 12:59 min/mi. Back was a little stiff to start but was fine most of the run and fine after. Definitely felt okay to run a bit longer but decided to play it safe.

Friday:
Rest Day

Saturday:
Rest Day

Sunday:
barre3 In-Studio with Vicky. Class was good. I went in planning to modify everything but then didn’t really modify much at all. Back was fine.
I took a walk after class (I thought it might be too cold to walk there) and my back started to hurt on the walk but was fine after. So I was probably just walking funny.
Still haven’t introduced myself to the new doorman, but I did finally watch Spiderman: Far From Home so I guess I'm doing alright. Spidey thoughts below.

Next Week Plan:
3 runs (10 miles), 2 barre3 classes, 1 walk (1-2 miles)
With the back being how it is, I think I'm going to go with more short runs vs doing another long run. Hopefully it'll work out okay. I'm just really nervous about trying to do another long run.

Spiderman: Far From Home Thoughts
So normally when I watch one of these Marvel movies, I kinda just write down my stream-of-consciousness thoughts and then summarize it to post here. Today I'm just going to post all that. I usually start off with a lot of thoughts and then close the computer and then re-open it at the end so yes it will definitely seem like I only watched half the movie.
Here goes:

• An “in memorium” for the Avengers? Okay.
• Europeans love Americans? Literally that’s as far from the truth as you can get.
• Someone remind me to ask my brother if there are pigeons in Venice. That might take it off my “places to visit” list. I hate pigeons.
• Okay. Water monster. In Venice. This seems bad. Also, Venice actually strangely reminds me of The Venetian? Which I assume is intentional? But since The Venetian is a Vegas hotel and not an actual city in Italy I didn’t expect the resemblance to be at all recognizable.
• Best Line: “***** please, you’ve been to space.” - Nick Fury
• That moment when Spiderman thought Beck was dead and he had lost another father figure … so sad. Although it turns out this guy is actually a bad guy? Well that’s disappointing.
• As someone who has extremely vivid dreams, all of this “what is real” stuff with Mysterio and Spiderman hit a little too close to home.
• So Spiderman has been outed? I guess I have to see the new movie now. I could go today, but I don't really want to outside and also not sure if I want to go to a movie theater quite yet. Oh well, I guess I'll see it eventually.

Overall, I liked it, but nothing super exceptional about it to me.

 

[jmasgat]

Someone remind me to ask my brother if there are pigeons in Venice. That might take it off my “places to visit” list. I hate pigeons.

If you forget to ask your brother, I can let you know on July 22--I'll be in Venice for a couple of days at the end of a trip to Italy.

 

[SarahDisney]

If you forget to ask your brother, I can let you know on July 22--I'll be in Venice for a couple of days at the end of a trip to Italy.

Nice! Enjoy Italy! And please report back on the pigeons, since I will probably forget to ask my brother.

 

[SarahDisney]

United NYC Half Training: Week Five
2/21/2022 - 2/27/2022​

The Plan:
3 runs (10 miles), 2 barre3 classes, 1 walk (1-2 miles)

The Actual:
2 runs (7.37 miles), 2 barre3 classes (both in-person), 1 walk (2.38 mi)

The Details:
Monday:
4.96 mile run, 1:08:00 hours, 13:43 min/mi. This was a struggle of a run but I made it through.
Finally watched Encanto. I liked it but I'm not sure I agree with the lesson. But that's a discussion for another time.

Tuesday:
barre3 In-Studio with Ashley E. This was a hard class + I didn’t feel 100%, but still glad I went. Left a bit early because I had an errand to run.

Wednesday:
2.42 mile run, 30:03 minutes, 12:27 min/mi. Mid-week runch, since I had a no-meeting afternoon. This was a good run. Haven’t had a run that felt this good in a long time. Maybe the key is not running first thing in the morning?

Thursday:
2.38 mile walk. This was supposed to be a run day but I woke up not feeling it, so I walked instead. Didn’t realize until I was out already that I was still wearing my running shoes. Oops?

Friday:
Rest Day

Saturday:
Rest Day

Sunday:
barre3 In-Studio with Nida. This class was fine but too many planks for me. I’m not a plank person.

Some Thoughts:

• I told my sister I was sad that I wasn’t at Princess but really I wasn’t? I didn’t have that deep sadness I felt during marathon weekend. It might have been because the world is imploding and it just hit me really hard. But also maybe because I’m at peace with my running days being behind me? I mean, if I had been there, I would have loved it, but I didn’t have that deep longing and sadness that I had marathon weekend.
• I had to run errands Sunday afternoon but had a hard time getting energized. I wonder if maybe I’ve hit a point where morning exercise is hurting more than it helps? I kinda realized that if I go out in the morning, it's hard to go out again later in the day. Just something to think about.
• My Garmin band broke. I considered a new watch for about 2 seconds but instead just dropped big bucks on a new band. Yeah. Life is fun these days. Band should be arriving at some point late this week or early next week. I might wear my dress watch and carry the Garmin in my pocket if the broken strap ends up really annoying me. (It's just the thingy that holds the extra part of the strap down so its still wearable just annoying)

Next Week Plan:
3 runs (10 miles), 2 barre3 classes, 1 walk (1-2 miles)
We'll see if the 10 miles/3 runs happens. I don't know if it will but we'll see. I might be able to do a short run on Friday morning? We'll see how it goes.

Also ... I don't know what to do with the Marvel stuff. I should probably be watching the TV shows now but I don't really feel like it. I feel like the movies are easier because I just sit down for a few hours and watch and then I'm done until the next one. TV probably requires more investment. Gotta figure out if I'm done or if I want to watch these Disney+ shows.

 

[jmasgat]

My Garmin strap keeper also broke. I just ended up ordering a new little keeper thingy off Amazon--well, actually a package of 6. It was cheaper then getting it from Garmin.

I hear you about workout timing. Mine is the reverse, though. If I don't get a workout done in the morning, I just can't work up the mental/physical energy to get out there in the afternoon. It just doesn't feel right.

As for Marvel, it took me a while to work up interest in seeing the other shows-besides WandaVision. That one was a no-brainer to watch because of the retro-episode format. That said, I did just finish Falcon and the Winter Soldier--if I find myself pedaling on the trainer indoors, I like that these kind of shows usually are 45 min long. It means I just watch them when I ride. No pressure, since my riding is 1-2 /week at most. Haven't done Loki yet.

 

[SarahDisney]

My Garmin strap keeper also broke. I just ended up ordering a new little keeper thingy off Amazon--well, actually a package of 6. It was cheaper then getting it from Garmin.

Yeah, that's the smart thing to do. But I didn't have the patience to search Amazon for the right thing. I know where to find bands on the Garmin website so it was faster.

I hear you about workout timing. Mine is the reverse, though. If I don't get a workout done in the morning, I just can't work up the mental/physical energy to get out there in the afternoon. It just doesn't feel right.

Yeah, I hear that. I was like that for a long time. But I'm wondering if maybe my internal schedule has changed recently? I dunno why that would have happened but lately mornings are harder than they used to be.

As for Marvel, it took me a while to work up. interest in seeing the other shows-besides WandaVision. That one was a no-brainer to watch because of the retro-episode format. That said, I did just finish Falcon and the Winter Soldier--if I find myself pedaling on the trainer indoors, I like that these kind of shows usually are 45 min long. It means I just watch them when I ride. No pressure, since my riding is 1-2 /week at most. Haven't done Loki yet.

Same with WandaVision. I actually kinda lost interest in the middle when it stopped being retro sitcoms. I could see Marvel shows being good treadmill shows, it would just take me a few years to get through since I'm rarely on the treadmill these days. But maybe that would inspire me to go up to the fitness center and jump on a bike or something once I retire from running. Hmm.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

Finally watched Encanto. I liked it but I'm not sure I agree with the lesson. But that's a discussion for another time.

I can see that. I had a hard time during that movie because I have a family member who acts very much like one of the characters in the movie.

Also ... I don't know what to do with the Marvel stuff. I should probably be watching the TV shows now but I don't really feel like it. I feel like the movies are easier because I just sit down for a few hours and watch and then I'm done until the next one. TV probably requires more investment. Gotta figure out if I'm done or if I want to watch these Disney+ shows.

I've at least liked if not really enjoyed all but one Marvel movie. But the TV shows on Disney+ are a different story for me. I feel like all of them got muddled and confusing partway at some point during the series and they kind of lost me. I've still only seen one episode of Hawkeye in part because the MCU series haven been hit or miss for me and unfortunately mostly miss.

 

[SarahDisney]

I've at least liked if not really enjoyed all but one Marvel movie. But the TV shows on Disney+ are a different story for me. I feel like all of them got muddled and confusing partway at some point during the series and they kind of lost me. I've still only seen one episode of Hawkeye in part because the MCU series haven been hit or miss for me and unfortunately mostly miss.

That's kinda how I felt about WandaVision. It seemed to lose itself partway through. Which is probably why I'm not that excited to get into the other shows.

 

[SarahDisney]

Y'all ... baseball.
That's it. That's all I have to say.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

Y'all ... baseball.
That's it. That's all I have to say.

Manfred has done the impossible. He's now managed to be worse than Bud Selig. Let's just say that the longer baseball continues to not happen, the much worse shape the future of the game will be in.

 

[SarahDisney]

United NYC Half Race Prep: Playlist Time
​

For the last few years, I've made a new running playlist at the beginning of the year. With everything that's been going on, I haven't settled into a playlist for this year. So I decided instead to make a playlist for the race and go from there (although I did name it "Run 2022" so there's that).

I wasn't really sure what direction to go, but one night I was getting ready for bedtime and listening to some rap and then it hit me.

The playlist is still a WIP and some things will be taken off of it, but here's what I have so far:


It's a weird mix. Some of the rap is gonna go (I don't need most of Collision Course, one or two songs will do ... and yes its only showing 2 songs from Collision Course there, not sure why I have other versions, but all of the Jay-Z/Linkin Park stuff is Collision Course) and I want to add some more indie pop whatever genre Imagine Dragons is. "I'm Shipping Up To Boston" was a genius add and I hope the Spotify gods work their magic and play it during the hardest parts of the race.

But yeah. Still a work in progress but it's nice to have something started.
All the other plans are nowhere near work in progress, training isn't really a thing, and this race is 18 days away.

 

[GollyGadget]

I want to add some more indie pop whatever genre Imagine Dragons is.

I personally hate imagine dragons which I only mention as a point of reference that you can ignore my recommendations but the first bands that came to mind were ajr and twenty one pilots... Maybe kennyhoopla?

 

[SarahDisney]

I personally hate imagine dragons which I only mention as a point of reference that you can ignore my recommendations but the first bands that came to mind were ajr and twenty one pilots... Maybe kennyhoopla?

Thanks for the suggestions! Just added that one twenty one pilots song I like.

 

[SarahDisney]

United NYC Half Training: Week Six
2/28/2022 - 3/06/2022​

The Plan:
3 runs (10 miles), 2 barre3 classes, 1 walk (1-2 miles)

The Actual:
2 runs (9.36 miles), 2 barre3 classes (1 in-person, 1 live stream), 2 walks (4.65 mi)

The Details:
Monday:
2.21 mile run, 30:16 minutes, 13:41 min/mi. Not a bad run. Could have run longer but I just wanted to get my grocery shopping done. But the lesson I learned from this weekend is that I should keep shelf-stable milk in my apartment at all times (did I buy any on this grocery shopping trip? No. Did I buy any on my next grocery shopping trip? No. But someone remind me to put little boxes of almond milk on my shopping list)

Tuesday:
barre3 In-Studio with Ashley E. Good class, but it took me a while to get into, probably because of a long day Monday and a schedule change (was originally planning to go into the office on Tuesday but then didn't).

Wednesday:
1.22 mile walk. I was in the office so I took some time to walk in new scenery. Probably should have gone a bit farther but I’m still getting used to the exits/entrances to the greenway down there.

Thursday:
3.41 mile walk. This was a nice morning walk but I think I drank my hot cocoa too fast.
Kinda regretted not going into the office (which was my original plan) so just an off day in general.

Friday:
barre3 Livestream with Nida. Original plan was to do a 3-mile run but I woke up and it was cold and I didn’t want to run so I forced myself to sign up for a barre3 livestream and decided to run Sunday instead (which ended up working out because I could do a longer run). I’m pretty sure it was the same class as Sunday (which is fine, some instructors plan one class for the whole week and that’s fine) which made it harder to get into it. Cut out before the last plank sequence because I don’t hate myself that much and also I was worried about some timing stuff.

Saturday:
Rest Day

Sunday:
7.15 mile run, 1:37:08 hours, 13:34 min/mi. Plan was 10K but I kinda planned my turnaround in a way that I knew I could go longer and it worked out. So glad this went well. On the original plan this was supposed to be my 10 miler but obviously with everything that wasn’t gonna happen … but all things considered, I think this was the best last long run I could have asked for.

Some Thoughts:

• This week started off rough but ended really well. After Sunday's run, I'm feeling a lot more confident about the race. It will probably be my worst half and I may have to walk some of it, but I think I can get across the finish line, hopefully pain-free.
• This was my last long run so I guess I'm in taper now. Woohoo?

Next Week Plan:
2 runs (7 miles), 2 barre3 classes, 2 walks (5-7 miles)
Planning to do a long-ish walk (4-5 miles) tomorrow to make sure I'm still feeling good after today's run.

Playlist Update
I think we're almost there. I think it could do with 1-2 more songs, but I think it'll just be songs that pop into my head.
I used it for today's run and it was good (although I did tinker a bit after the run).
So here's what we have:

 

[SarahDisney]

I banged my toe into the wall because I'm a klutz and I can't decide if its purple or I'm just experiencing taper madness.

 

[SarahDisney]

Update: Toe is definitely purple. But not at all painful anymore. I'm just gonna ignore it and hope it doesn't become a problem.
barre3 before going into the office tomorrow (about a 10-15 minute walk from barre3) so that should be a nice test of the toe. Also a nice test of how going from barre class straight to the office works out.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

Update: Toe is definitely purple. But not at all painful anymore. I'm just gonna ignore it and hope it doesn't become a problem.
barre3 before going into the office tomorrow (about a 10-15 minute walk from barre3) so that should be a nice test of the toe. Also a nice test of how going from barre class straight to the office works out.

I banged my toe up pretty good early last September. It was probably not until mid October before it finally felt normal again. Hopefully yours will heal much faster. At the very least, mine hurt for a few days after the original mishap so hopefully that means yours is far less worse than mine.

 

[SarahDisney]

I banged my toe up pretty good early last September. It was probably not until mid October before it finally felt normal again. Hopefully yours will heal much faster. At the very least, mine hurt for a few days after the original mishap so hopefully that means yours is far less worse than mine.

Well that sounds not fun. I'm glad your toe eventually got better!

The toe looks bad but really only hurts when I land a lot of weight on it (happened by accident during barre class) or apparently when I put on my boots so hopefully that means it won't be a big deal. Plan is to run tomorrow so we'll see how that goes.