Venture outside your comfort zone: the rewards are worth it! KSellers88’s Journal (Comments Welcome)

I am about 95% sure I am going to try for a PR in December at the Kiawah Island half. My husband and I loved the island and the course was beautiful so I am excited to go back. I am also probably 75% sure I want to try for a marathon PR at the beginning of next year, but I need to reach out to coach @DopeyBadger to figure out what would work best. I've been so busy with moving and trying to get started on this house build that I keep forgetting to email him. :confused3:rotfl:Maybe now that I have typed it here it will actually happen.

Alright, so a few options that are kind of intertwined.

Option 1: Two separate plans

The Kiawah HM is December 14th. A normal length plan of 16 weeks would put the start around 8/24/19. You could probably go as little as 10-12 weeks and still be good here (so starting 10/5/19).

Then a week off means the marathon plan would start 12/23/19. With another normal length plan, the marathon would be around 4/13/20 (16 weeks).

Option 2: One plan to cover them both

I like a HM PR attempt to fall within a M PR attempt on two very specific weekends. I normally design the training plans on a 4 week cycle (Peak, Moderate, Peak, Recovery). I also typically give a 21 day taper unless someone has reason to aim for 14 instead. So that leaves a typical design as (when counting backwards):

Marathon Race Week
Taper
Taper
Peak A
Mod 1
Peak B
Recover
Peak C
Mod 2
Peak D
Recover

I like to hold Peak A and B steady as our attempts at max long runs. And then Recovery week is a necessity to attack those Peaks well. So that leaves us with a window of Peak C, Mod 2, and Peak D (or 8-10 weeks out from race day).

So if we placed the Kiawah HM at 8-10 weeks out from the M, then you would be looking for something between Feb 8th and Feb 23rd.

But last I heard you were dreaming of Minnie Mouse on the WDW Marathon medal. That would place Kiawah on Mod 1 (between the two peak weeks and 5 weeks out from race day). It's certainly cutting it close, but it truly is the last week I'd consider racing if you did so.

ETA: Forgot to say that this single plan would probably start around 18 weeks out from the M if it were the Feb races (so 10/5 to 10/19). If it were for Disney, then it would probably start 9/8 to 9/22.
 
Alright, so a few options that are kind of intertwined.

Option 1: Two separate plans

The Kiawah HM is December 14th. A normal length plan of 16 weeks would put the start around 8/24/19. You could probably go as little as 10-12 weeks and still be good here (so starting 10/5/19).

Then a week off means the marathon plan would start 12/23/19. With another normal length plan, the marathon would be around 4/13/20 (16 weeks).

Option 2: One plan to cover them both

I like a HM PR attempt to fall within a M PR attempt on two very specific weekends. I normally design the training plans on a 4 week cycle (Peak, Moderate, Peak, Recovery). I also typically give a 21 day taper unless someone has reason to aim for 14 instead. So that leaves a typical design as (when counting backwards):

Marathon Race Week
Taper
Taper
Peak A
Mod 1
Peak B
Recover
Peak C
Mod 2
Peak D
Recover

I like to hold Peak A and B steady as our attempts at max long runs. And then Recovery week is a necessity to attack those Peaks well. So that leaves us with a window of Peak C, Mod 2, and Peak D (or 8-10 weeks out from race day).

So if we placed the Kiawah HM at 8-10 weeks out from the M, then you would be looking for something between Feb 8th and Feb 23rd.

But last I heard you were dreaming of Minnie Mouse on the WDW Marathon medal. That would place Kiawah on Mod 1 (between the two peak weeks and 5 weeks out from race day). It's certainly cutting it close, but it truly is the last week I'd consider racing if you did so.

ETA: Forgot to say that this single plan would probably start around 18 weeks out from the M if it were the Feb races (so 10/5 to 10/19). If it were for Disney, then it would probably start 9/8 to 9/22.

Wow, you are awesome! Option 1 for the marathon most likely won't work since it'll already be super hot in the South by April, and I am not sure I could even find one to do.

Based on option 2, the options seem to be Disney (which I think would have the most crowd support and lesser chance of hot weather), 26.2 with Donna in Jacksonville on 2/9, Miami Marathon on 2/9, or RNR NOLA on 2/9. There aren't any near me on 2/23 that I can find, but the Snickers Marathon in Albany is on 3/2 next year. I am the absolute worst at making a decision so I've been going back and forth and back and forth on what to do. LOL. I probably can cross Miami and RNR NOLA off the list based on logistics, so that would narrow it down to Disney, Jacksonville or Snickers. :confused:
 
Disney, Jacksonville or Snickers. :confused:

From there, I'd evaluate each marathon individually and ask myself what the goal of doing the marathon is. If it's purely from a PR standpoint, then I'd evaluate the historical temperatures on that date in those places at the time the race would be occurring from the last 5 years. Know what you race in best and see if any of the three line up more consistently with that. Additionally, look at the elevation profiles of each and determine whether any will be an issue.

We kind of already know the answer for Disney. The T+D is highly variable and unpredictable. The course is mostly flat, but has a significant number of turns. So it's a good PR course, but there are certainly better ones. With that being said, it is the one I chose for my next PR attempt so it can't be all that bad. A huge personal consideration for why I chose Disney is because it starts so early. Because of that, I don't get the sun until maybe 12-13 miles into the race. That's a huge advantage in my book versus another race that maybe starts at 7am instead. Because maybe both end up with full sun days, but Disney would actually have far less of it because of that early start.

But if it's not purely a PR thing, then you have to weigh all the other things as well. Like Disney will have tons of DISers at it. And it's Disney. But maybe Snickers has the better atmosphere or local family or just CANDY!
 
Wow, you are awesome! Option 1 for the marathon most likely won't work since it'll already be super hot in the South by April, and I am not sure I could even find one to do.

Based on option 2, the options seem to be Disney (which I think would have the most crowd support and lesser chance of hot weather), 26.2 with Donna in Jacksonville on 2/9, Miami Marathon on 2/9, or RNR NOLA on 2/9. There aren't any near me on 2/23 that I can find, but the Snickers Marathon in Albany is on 3/2 next year. I am the absolute worst at making a decision so I've been going back and forth and back and forth on what to do. LOL. I probably can cross Miami and RNR NOLA off the list based on logistics, so that would narrow it down to Disney, Jacksonville or Snickers. :confused:

The atlanta publix marathon is March 1. But that is a very hard one. Also Celebration marathon is 1/26. I've run the Atlanta marathon twice under the old course (very hilly) and Celebration half twice (the marathon is two loops of the half). This one is VERY flat.
 


From there, I'd evaluate each marathon individually and ask myself what the goal of doing the marathon is. If it's purely from a PR standpoint, then I'd evaluate the historical temperatures on that date in those places at the time the race would be occurring from the last 5 years. Know what you race in best and see if any of the three line up more consistently with that. Additionally, look at the elevation profiles of each and determine whether any will be an issue.

We kind of already know the answer for Disney. The T+D is highly variable and unpredictable. The course is mostly flat, but has a significant number of turns. So it's a good PR course, but there are certainly better ones. With that being said, it is the one I chose for my next PR attempt so it can't be all that bad. A huge personal consideration for why I chose Disney is because it starts so early. Because of that, I don't get the sun until maybe 12-13 miles into the race. That's a huge advantage in my book versus another race that maybe starts at 7am instead. Because maybe both end up with full sun days, but Disney would actually have far less of it because of that early start.

But if it's not purely a PR thing, then you have to weigh all the other things as well. Like Disney will have tons of DISers at it. And it's Disney. But maybe Snickers has the better atmosphere or local family or just CANDY!

Let me think on this, LOL. I am horrible at making a decision, but strongly leaning toward Disney if you don't think that's too close to Kiawah...
 
Let me think on this, LOL. I am horrible at making a decision, but strongly leaning toward Disney if you don't think that's too close to Kiawah...

It's close but definitely workable. I think it's going to come down to how your body responds to an "A" level HM, and then the proceeding week being a peak training week. I think one thing we should do to help manage this would be to remove the hard weekday workout in peak week and replace it with something of a similar duration but easy. Then, have the 2.5 hr max peak on the weekend followed by a very hard weekday workout in the first week of taper. It can definitely work, but it'll take diligent care with your body and making sure you pay attention to signs and symptoms.

We both already know where this is headed.... see you in Disney in January! ::MickeyMo::MinnieMo
 
Funny I was thinking the same Kristin will be at Marathon weekend. Maybe in 2021 we can do Snickers marathon. I was thinking about doing it. It seems like a good race.
 


The atlanta publix marathon is March 1. But that is a very hard one. Also Celebration marathon is 1/26. I've run the Atlanta marathon twice under the old course (very hilly) and Celebration half twice (the marathon is two loops of the half). This one is VERY flat.

Oh goodness, no. LOL. I have done the Publix Half in Atlanta and thought my legs were going to fall off so the full might really kill me. I'll look into Celebration, thanks for the tip!!
 
It's close but definitely workable. I think it's going to come down to how your body responds to an "A" level HM, and then the proceeding week being a peak training week. I think one thing we should do to help manage this would be to remove the hard weekday workout in peak week and replace it with something of a similar duration but easy. Then, have the 2.5 hr max peak on the weekend followed by a very hard weekday workout in the first week of taper. It can definitely work, but it'll take diligent care with your body and making sure you pay attention to signs and symptoms.

We both already know where this is headed.... see you in Disney in January! ::MickeyMo::MinnieMo

Funny I was thinking the same Kristin will be at Marathon weekend. Maybe in 2021 we can do Snickers marathon. I was thinking about doing it. It seems like a good race.

LOL! Y'all know me too well! It mainly depends on if my mom can get vacation time or not and if I can convince my husband another trip to Disney is okay while we are building a house...

I have heard really good things about Snickers too! The date just worries me because it has been really hot in past years and I don't do well at that distance in the heat. If you do it in 2020, I'd definitely be willing to do the half!
 
LOL! Y'all know me too well! It mainly depends on if my mom can get vacation time or not and if I can convince my husband another trip to Disney is okay while we are building a house...

I have heard really good things about Snickers too! The date just worries me because it has been really hot in past years and I don't do well at that distance in the heat. If you do it in 2020, I'd definitely be willing to do the half!

I've known people who have run very fast times at Snickers. It strikes me as a boring course though. maybe I'm wrong.
 
I've known people who have run very fast times at Snickers. It strikes me as a boring course though. maybe I'm wrong.

No, I feel the same way, which is why I am thinking Disney, Jacksonville or the one you suggested would be my best bet. Snickers sounds like a lot of turns and not a lot of crowd support, plus you never know about the weather in March. I'd love to do the half there one day though.
 
Belated Happy Birthday! 🎂
I've been a little out of it all week, so I didn't realize until today that yesterday was the 8th.
I hope you did something fun to celebrate!
 
So close, yet so far away...

Welp. I missed that 5k PR again...but this time by only 16 seconds. This past weekend was the Lakebottom 5K, a local race that benefits our Junior League. I am not sure if they have this organization in other places or if it is just a Southern thing, but it is basically a woman's organization that does fundraisers and other volunteer events. Our chapter seems to specifically focus on helping underprivileged women and children, which is an amazing cause. This race has a 1 mile race, a 5k, and then a Tot Trot which was one of the cutest things I have ever seen.

The run takes place at a park where I run normally at least once per week, so I knew the route well. It was basically completely flat with a few bunny hills, and just one big loop. The weather was not on my side for this run unfortunately. We were under an extreme heat warning from the Sunday before the race until the day of the race. Feels like temperatures maxed out at 115 degrees and the actual temperature hit 100 several days that week. This forced me onto the treadmill because as much as I love summer, I don't want to die.

At the start, we were already dealing with a T&D of 155. I decided to still try for a PR, but pay close attention to how I was feeling and not go out too fast. My first mile was still my fastest mile of the race, but I kept it pretty consistent with splits of 7:27, 7:33 and 7:34. Overall time was 23:20, just 16 seconds off my PR of 23:04 that I got in January of last year which in those temps I am happy with. I did manage to snag 3rd in my age group so it wasn't a complete bummer. I'll just dust myself off and try again! IMG_8451.jpgIMG_8449.jpg

PS. I am still trying to figure out which marathon to do, sorry to leave y'all hanging like that! :rotfl: Can someone just make that decision for me? I polled Instagram today and now I am even more confused than before from that feedback.:confused3
 
So close, yet so far away...

Welp. I missed that 5k PR again...but this time by only 16 seconds. This past weekend was the Lakebottom 5K, a local race that benefits our Junior League. I am not sure if they have this organization in other places or if it is just a Southern thing, but it is basically a woman's organization that does fundraisers and other volunteer events. Our chapter seems to specifically focus on helping underprivileged women and children, which is an amazing cause. This race has a 1 mile race, a 5k, and then a Tot Trot which was one of the cutest things I have ever seen.

The run takes place at a park where I run normally at least once per week, so I knew the route well. It was basically completely flat with a few bunny hills, and just one big loop. The weather was not on my side for this run unfortunately. We were under an extreme heat warning from the Sunday before the race until the day of the race. Feels like temperatures maxed out at 115 degrees and the actual temperature hit 100 several days that week. This forced me onto the treadmill because as much as I love summer, I don't want to die.

At the start, we were already dealing with a T&D of 155. I decided to still try for a PR, but pay close attention to how I was feeling and not go out too fast. My first mile was still my fastest mile of the race, but I kept it pretty consistent with splits of 7:27, 7:33 and 7:34. Overall time was 23:20, just 16 seconds off my PR of 23:04 that I got in January of last year which in those temps I am happy with. I did manage to snag 3rd in my age group so it wasn't a complete bummer. I'll just dust myself off and try again! View attachment 427879View attachment 427878

PS. I am still trying to figure out which marathon to do, sorry to leave y'all hanging like that! :rotfl: Can someone just make that decision for me? I polled Instagram today and now I am even more confused than before from that feedback.:confused3

That's a great time, especially with the heat! Wow!

My MIL used to be a member of the Junior League in a suburb of Detroit when my husband was a kid. I don't know what they did, but I don't feel like it was so helpful.
 

LOL! At this point I just seem to be in denial about what I need to do...

Congrats on the AG award!

Also ... if you ask around here, you know the answer to the marathon question will be Disney!

Thank you! I think subconsciously I want people to tell me to do Disney. LOL

That's a great time, especially with the heat! Wow!

My MIL used to be a member of the Junior League in a suburb of Detroit when my husband was a kid. I don't know what they did, but I don't feel like it was so helpful.

Thank you! I can't say for sure if they are helpful or not because I am not a member (I don't really fit in with that group, LOL), but they do have diaper drives and tons of fundraisers so I assume they are doing a small amount of good? You never really know though...
 

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