Training Talk - No Disney Race Planned for Awhile

[afan]

A chiropractor appt kept me from the weights last week, so when I did them yesterday it had been 2 weeks. I also added squats, which I don't do a ton of because they start to aggravate my knee. Definitely feeling it in my legs, which is good and bad. I like a little sore, but not a lot and it's a bit more than I'd like. Reminds me why I stopped cross training when I was training with weights in the fall and also why I need to do it. Though most of the weights I use are upper body. I don't like most of the leg machines so I do other things, though I'm sure not enough.

 

[Waiting2goback]

Have you ever considered a program like P90X or P90X3? Good cross training for the whole body.

 

[afan]

Have you ever considered a program like P90X or P90X3? Good cross training for the whole body.

No. I don't want that much intensity all the time and I know they are set up to do more consistently than I want my cross training. I also don't want/can't really do that type of workout at home due to space and tv access. I used to do the ea sports exercise thing the wii fit has and it was ok but once you did it through once it was all the same again. It's also a space/at home issue. I do try and use some of that stuff in what I do at the gym though.

Part of it is also making sure I don't over do it on squats or lunges because they start to aggravate my knee. Running doesn't though.

 

[Miranda]

I know that I should do more strength and yoga work but as mentioned I find it hard to fit it in my schedule with the limited class times at the gym. So instead of making grand plans to get back to the gym sometimes a second time in the same day (it's about a 15 min drive to the gym one way, sometimes 20 if I hit lights and traffic wrong) to go to BodyPump 2x a week and yoga 1x a week that I know will never happen, a few weeks ago I joined a yoga studio closer to my house that has more class times than the gym. It's not strength work the same way BodyPump is, but so far I have been going 2-3x a week, so that at least counts for more strength than bailing on BodyPump every week does.

The yoga studio is about a 4-5 min drive away, so I don't mind going back later after I've already gone to the other gym in the morning. I'm still doing RPM 2x a week at my regular gym and using it for the treadmill when I can't get outside to run.

 

[afan]

There's a new pilates studio next to my chiropractor that I'm curious about, but don't want to add an additional monthly cost when I already have the gym.

I am doing hill work every other week, on treadmill for now, but once the sun starts staying up later I'll use the one in the neighborhood across the street from me. There's a few different options for steepness. And I'll also add the dreaded stair climber for some cross training days. It's the rotating stairs, like an escalator, so it's more useful but boring and annoying. Also often taken since there's only 5.

 

[Miranda]

I used to do pilates reformer at my gym before I started running again. I had a personal trainer 2x a week that I did sessions with, and she was the pilates instructor, and we used to occasionally do some pilates stuff on the reformer when I'd hurt my back, and I liked it so much that I joined a small group class 1x a week. I haven't done it in like 2 years because my trainer had to leave the gym due to health reasons, and she was really the only pilates instructor, plus then I got back into running and was really liking not having all those extra trainer fees on top of the gym one. I'm not thrilled to be paying the yoga studio fee now on top of the gym, but it's definitely less than training was at least! As long as I go 2x a week, the monthly contract I signed is worth it over paying the drop in fee.

 

[ZellyB]

I used to use a spreadsheet too! I've got several of them floating around from prior training periods. I finally moved over to Training Peaks, though. It offers Garmin upload and graphs that very helpfully display my current fitness level (or lack thereof). Plus, it allows me and my coach to schedule and discuss workouts.

I set up a Training Peaks account and plugged in my workout schedule through our next half run. Seems like a pretty slick tool. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[FFigawi]

You're welcome. I really like the fatigue & fitness graphs. They tend to reflect my training load & tiredness pretty well.

 

[afan]

Did 20 minutes on the stair climber today. It's much easier to get through having a phone to read. I was catching up on the disboards The time flew by, so I think it will be a decent xt option.

 

[Keels]

Did 20 minutes on the stair climber today. It's much easier to get through having a phone to read. I was catching up on the disboards The time flew by, so I think it will be a decent xt option.

I LOVED the Summit Climber during my Dopey training. I would take one non-run day and spend 45-60 minutes on that bad boy - I loved that it was more aggressive than the elipitcal, but a more natural translation to hill running than the stair climber. I could read a book and not lose pace.

 

[afan]

I LOVED the Summit Climber during my Dopey training. I would take one non-run day and spend 45-60 minutes on that bad boy - I loved that it was more aggressive than the elipitcal, but a more natural translation to hill running than the stair climber. I could read a book and not lose pace.

The eliptical is evil. My hips don't agree with the movement you use on it.

I could have done longer but it defaults to 20 min so I'll have to figure that out. They only have 4 of them, so hopefully there will be an empty one when I want to do it every other week. I like the rowing machine too.

 

[Chaitali]

The eliptical is evil. My hips don't agree with the movement you use on it.

I could have done longer but it defaults to 20 min so I'll have to figure that out. They only have 4 of them, so hopefully there will be an empty one when I want to do it every other week. I like the rowing machine too.

I haven't tried the rowing machine or stair climber yet. I default to the elliptical but I should give these a try at some point to see if I like them better.

 

[afan]

I haven't tried the rowing machine or stair climber yet. I default to the elliptical but I should give these a try at some point to see if I like them better.

I like the stair climber that is like an escalator because it is real movements. My chiropractor, who also runs, doesn't like the elliptical or the stair stepper that just goes up and down because they aren't natural movements. Probably why my body doesn't like those type.

I like the rowing machine because it works most everything and you can change the resistance.

 

[margitmouse]

I used to use a spreadsheet too! I've got several of them floating around from prior training periods. I finally moved over to Training Peaks, though. It offers Garmin upload and graphs that very helpfully display my current fitness level (or lack thereof). Plus, it allows me and my coach to schedule and discuss workouts.

You've mentioned your coach several times, which surprised me. I didn't realize that folks with as much experience as you used a coach.
Since this is the training thread I hope you all don't mind me throwing out a request for some guidance.
Those of you who have coaches, or have had coaches, how did you find your coach? What do you look for in a coach? Do you work locally, or at a distance- via email etc.
Any input would be gratefully received

 

[Keels]

You've mentioned your coach several times, which surprised me. I didn't realize that folks with as much experience as you used a coach.
Since this is the training thread I hope you all don't mind me throwing out a request for some guidance.
Those of you who have coaches, or have had coaches, how did you find your coach? What do you look for in a coach? Do you work locally, or at a distance- via email etc.
Any input would be gratefully received

Runners World tweeted out this article last week that might help you decide if a coach is right for you.

For ME - and, again, this is one of those things that is a purely person-to-person kind of thing - until I decided to run Dopey, I basically relied on traditional running plans to help stretch me out so I could accomplish the distance (at the time, a half marathon distance) upright and injury-free, without a true time goal, but mostly in a reduced timeframe for training (I ran my first half marathon less than six weeks after my first-ever 10k). I also relied on good friends who were runners, and were running the same race as me, for advice and things like that. And it worked really well for a while.

When I decided to attempt Dopey, I relied pretty heavily on @FFigawi (which - it's all his fault that he got me into the whole Dopey situation, so he might as well help me get out of it!). So, for my training, he acted as my de facto coach/mentor - he critiqued my training plan, offered advice when I needed it, talked me off the ledge probably more than he ever planned on (Yeah, I'm THAT person), and really gave me the advice that nobody else could give me - what Dopey would ACTUALLY be like. How I needed to train and approach everything, the mindset and training I needed going into race weekend. All of that good stuff. We never really did anything in-depth like breaking down my training runs and times, things like that, but he knew that time wasn't my goal - FINISHING was.

I did attempt to find someone locally that could help me, both in the running club I run local races through AND through two running stores that I make all my purchases from, but nobody had even attempted a Challenge at Disney, and the small number of people that had run a Disney race had run the Marathon years ago. So, finding someone local wouldn't work. I even reached out to the person who organizes the NYC/Marine Corps Marathon training group here in my city to see if they could help me approach Dopey and that was a total no-go. In fact, that person had serious questions about why a person would even want to attempt a challenge like that. So, that was the end of that search for me. Again, it just happens. ~8k people run Dopey every year, and it's only been going for three years - so the sample size for finding a coach that had experienced the Challenge itself was already going to be small.

When I finished Dopey, I had to kind of assess what my goals were going forward. And I think that, going forward, my ultimate goal is to become a better (which does not necessarily mean faster) runner, and to transition from training specifically for a race or a race season into conditioning more on a weekly basis so that at any point in time, I can schedule out a couple of long runs and be ready to run a destination race and have fun. I would like to also be better prepared to run a standalone marathon, and maybe shave some time off my half marathon time. But really, that's it. I have no intention of things like BQing (nor would I EVER be able to, just based on my level of fitness and some serious lifestyle choices I would have to make to get serious about it).

 

[Anisum]

Runners World tweeted out this article last week that might help you decide if a coach is right for you.

That's a good article. Thanks for sharing.

 

[FFigawi]

You've mentioned your coach several times, which surprised me. I didn't realize that folks with as much experience as you used a coach.
Since this is the training thread I hope you all don't mind me throwing out a request for some guidance.
Those of you who have coaches, or have had coaches, how did you find your coach? What do you look for in a coach? Do you work locally, or at a distance- via email etc.

Here's why I use a coach: I love coaching and helping other people with their plans and goals, but I am horrible at setting things up for myself. Having a coach do that for me, and hold me accountable for my results and performance, allows me to focus on my workouts and takes away the pressure of wondering if what I planned for myself is working, too easy, too hard, etc. It also helps keep me from getting bored and taking the easy way out. If you can find someone that you feel comfortable working with, I highly recommend doing so. Coaches aren't necessary by any means - lots of people do just fine without one - but they can be very valuable when you are a) attempting something for the first time, or b) want to push hard for a step change in your performance and crush a new PR.

I'm lucky with my coach. She's a friend of mine from high school who I reconnected with a while ago. She and another friend of ours have a coaching business and were after me for years to sign up with them. When I finally ran out of enthusiasm for organizing my own training, it was a simple decision to reach out to them. Even if I didn't know them already, they have a lot of traits that I want in a coach. Friendly, available to answer questions and calm nerves, experience from competing themselves, persistence in pushing me to complete my workouts but patience to know when I need a break. All those traits are what I would put out there to anyone looking for a coach. You need to make sure your personality works with your coach's too. If you're not driven by data and your coach loves numbers and metrics, for example, that might make for a difficult relationship.

My coach and I do everything remotely. She loads my workouts into Training Peaks a week or two at a time so I can see what is coming and provide any feedback about my travel or work plans in case things need to be moved around. I provide feedback on how I felt during or after each workout, in addition to all the data from my sensors and Garmin, and she uses that to adjust the plan for the following week. We email each other regularly, almost daily now that I'm trying to learn how to be a competent triathlete. I can also text her if I need to, and we have a long chat on the phone each time I'm back in the US. Coaching and being coached at a distance is pretty easy to do as long as both parties are fully communicating openly and honestly with each other.

 

[margitmouse]

First of all to both of you, thank you for taking the time to write out your long answers, I appreciate the effort more than you know

Runners World tweeted out this article last week that might help you decide if a coach is right for you.

For ME - and, again, this is one of those things that is a purely person-to-person kind of thing - until I decided to run Dopey, I basically relied on traditional running plans to help stretch me out so I could accomplish the distance (at the time, a half marathon distance) upright and injury-free, without a true time goal, but mostly in a reduced timeframe for training (I ran my first half marathon less than six weeks after my first-ever 10k). I also relied on good friends who were runners, and were running the same race as me, for advice and things like that. And it worked really well for a while.

When I decided to attempt Dopey, I relied pretty heavily on @FFigawi (which - it's all his fault that he got me into the whole Dopey situation, so he might as well help me get out of it!). So, for my training, he acted as my de facto coach/mentor - he critiqued my training plan, offered advice when I needed it, talked me off the ledge probably more than he ever planned on (Yeah, I'm THAT person), and really gave me the advice that nobody else could give me - what Dopey would ACTUALLY be like. How I needed to train and approach everything, the mindset and training I needed going into race weekend. All of that good stuff. We never really did anything in-depth like breaking down my training runs and times, things like that, but he knew that time wasn't my goal - FINISHING was.

I did attempt to find someone locally that could help me, both in the running club I run local races through AND through two running stores that I make all my purchases from, but nobody had even attempted a Challenge at Disney, and the small number of people that had run a Disney race had run the Marathon years ago. So, finding someone local wouldn't work. I even reached out to the person who organizes the NYC/Marine Corps Marathon training group here in my city to see if they could help me approach Dopey and that was a total no-go. In fact, that person had serious questions about why a person would even want to attempt a challenge like that. So, that was the end of that search for me. Again, it just happens. ~8k people run Dopey every year, and it's only been going for three years - so the sample size for finding a coach that had experienced the Challenge itself was already going to be small.

When I finished Dopey, I had to kind of assess what my goals were going forward. And I think that, going forward, my ultimate goal is to become a better (which does not necessarily mean faster) runner, and to transition from training specifically for a race or a race season into conditioning more on a weekly basis so that at any point in time, I can schedule out a couple of long runs and be ready to run a destination race and have fun. I would like to also be better prepared to run a standalone marathon, and maybe shave some time off my half marathon time. But really, that's it. I have no intention of things like BQing (nor would I EVER be able to, just based on my level of fitness and some serious lifestyle choices I would have to make to get serious about it).

@Keels, so first, I have my suspicions that I may have driven you a little crazy over the last year! but I really want you to know that I have appreciated how much of yourself and your journey that you share, and taking the time to write this lengthy response, to post the article link, is another example of that. You are really articulate and what you said here helps me to solidify my own goals, with running in general, but to figure out what I hope to gain by having a coach. You often say out loud what I think in my head... Or am in the process of trying to think but haven't quite gotten there yet!
It's one of the things I love about these boards, that people share their thoughts and experiences to help me, to help each other, develop and grow.
I really hope that one of these days, one of these races, I get to meet you in person, to say thanks, again!

Here's why I use a coach: I love coaching and helping other people with their plans and goals, but I am horrible at setting things up for myself. Having a coach do that for me, and hold me accountable for my results and performance, allows me to focus on my workouts and takes away the pressure of wondering if what I planned for myself is working, too easy, too hard, etc. It also helps keep me from getting bored and taking the easy way out. If you can find someone that you feel comfortable working with, I highly recommend doing so. Coaches aren't necessary by any means - lots of people do just fine without one - but they can be very valuable when you are a) attempting something for the first time, or b) want to push hard for a step change in your performance and crush a new PR.

I'm lucky with my coach. She's a friend of mine from high school who I reconnected with a while ago. She and another friend of ours have a coaching business and were after me for years to sign up with them. When I finally ran out of enthusiasm for organizing my own training, it was a simple decision to reach out to them. Even if I didn't know them already, they have a lot of traits that I want in a coach. Friendly, available to answer questions and calm nerves, experience from competing themselves, persistence in pushing me to complete my workouts but patience to know when I need a break. All those traits are what I would put out there to anyone looking for a coach. You need to make sure your personality works with your coach's too. If you're not driven by data and your coach loves numbers and metrics, for example, that might make for a difficult relationship.

My coach and I do everything remotely. She loads my workouts into Training Peaks a week or two at a time so I can see what is coming and provide any feedback about my travel or work plans in case things need to be moved around. I provide feedback on how I felt during or after each workout, in addition to all the data from my sensors and Garmin, and she uses that to adjust the plan for the following week. We email each other regularly, almost daily now that I'm trying to learn how to be a competent triathlete. I can also text her if I need to, and we have a long chat on the phone each time I'm back in the US. Coaching and being coached at a distance is pretty easy to do as long as both parties are fully communicating openly and honestly with each other.

.... and @FFigawi! Coach! Again, such a long response, and great input. Thanks for sharing your experience. I think sometimes the stuff that seems like it is common sense, still needs to be said out loud. I love that you really spelled out the personality traits, characteristics that are important for you, but also the tip to recognize the differences. Between your response and Keels', I think I'm getting a better handle on needing to be clear about my goals, and my expectations and finding someone to fit them.

I love these boards. I love that Y'all take the time to share your experience and support others in this hobby (read obsession!)

Grammatical edit!

 

[FFigawi]

You're most welcome

 

[Keels]

@Keels, so first, I have my suspicions that I may have driven you a little crazy over the last year! but I really want you to know that I have appreciated how much of yourself and your journey that you share, and taking the time to write this lengthy response, to post the article link, is another example of that. You are really articulate and what you said here helps me to solidify my own goals, with running in general, but to figure out what I hope to gain by having a coach. You often say out loud what I think in my head... Or am in the process of trying to think but haven't quite gotten there yet!
It's one of the things I love about these boards, that people share their thoughts and experiences to help me, to help each other, develop and grow.
I really hope that one of these days, one of these races, I get to meet you in person, to say thanks, again!

Goodness, no! I'm sure I drive people crazy enough around here with my questions and things. That's why I try to answer as honestly and openly as I can about things like these events, the training, and all that comes with it. The highest highs and the very lowest lows.

I think the one thing I've learned over these months of my running journey is the biggest, most important thing is ... honesty. About your training, about what you're doing, what your goals are, etc. And mostly, you just have to stay honest to yourself. YOU are the only person who knows what you're capable of.

Training for Dopey was one of the hardest things I've done. The actual Dopey Weekend? The best weekend of my life (though, at the time it didn't feel like it). But I knew going in to it, I would finish. It wouldn't be an amazing showing in the full, but I would certainly finish and I would do well for most of the weekend.