We're all out there chasing our better selves (FredtheDuck chases on)

We're all out there chasing our better selves, so we're all the same regardless of what the clock says.

I meant to write yesterday to say thanks for your post! I am going to make the line quoted above my running theme/mantra for this cycle. It really hit home.

But I hear you, for a 10K or a 5K I'm all "I could do that anytime" and it's not a big deal,

Take a step back and bask in that! I know that for me, when I started running (via C25k) a 5k seemed like a real stretch goal. And I still get nervous "racing" them. But now a 5k is my SHORTEST run of the week, and only early in my training plan (I have a 3-miler today, actually), and a 10k seems like an blissfully short "long run" or a lightly longer weekday run. If you had asked me even six months ago if I would think I was capable of that, I would have said "Absolutely not."

This is such a tough thing to do, because I know for myself, I am a reallly....slooooow runner. So for me to take it even slower for me...it's well...a walking pace for a lot of people...and I don't feel proud of myself after...whereas if I beat my previous times...it makes me feel good mentally..though after notsomuch

This is a habit I'm working really hard to break myself from. I had a good reminder of why those training paces matter on Saturday though, when I overran them on a hilly run. I wasn't even that fast (and I race faster), but I am not in peak shape right now after a couple of weeks off, and even a few days later, I'm still a little sore in my calves. If not for the training plan, I'd use the soreness as an excuse to take today off. Instead, I decided to make today's run a treadmill run to really force myself to go my assigned pace. So I'm really trying to remind myself that training slower means that I can run more often and further (because each individual run takes less of a toll on my body), and that in doing so, I'll be able to push myself on race day. I also had to remind myself that I'm never going to be anyone's definition of fast... so my focus is going to continue to be on building consistency and distance. Any speed gains are icing on the cake.
 
I meant to write yesterday to say thanks for your post! I am going to make the line quoted above my running theme/mantra for this cycle. It really hit home.

You're welcome. One of the things I love about running is the fact that we get to define success for ourselves. 40K runners are going to start the Chicago Marathon this weekend, and while 99.9% of them aren't going to contend for the win, they don't care. Some are going to be happy going sub-3, sub-4, sub-5, etc., or getting a BQ, or finishing a World Marathon Major, or just finishing their first marathon or their 100th. In running, you don't have to win to achieve something amazing, or to enjoy the experience.

I also had to remind myself that I'm never going to be anyone's definition of fast... so my focus is going to continue to be on building consistency and distance.

I read a funny story about "fast" and "slow" from a famous runner (I don't remember who, unfortunately): This runner decided to enter a small local marathon in a town in Africa, and though it was a small race, the other runners at the start looked pretty quick. At the gun, the main pack sprinted off into the distance, and this runner settled into his own pace, which would eventually get him a finishing time of around 2:50 (pretty fast by almost anyone's standards). By the time he got to the finish however, the organizers were taking down the race banners, the awards ceremony was over, and the top 5 were already celebrating in the local bar! I try to remember that story to remind myself that unless I'm in the top 25 or so in the world (and I'm definitely not!), I'm still someone else's definition of slow, so there's no point in worrying about it.
 
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Hip was sore all day yesterday after my run, and I couldn't seem to stretch it into comfort. I ended up doing my "speed" workout in my hilly neighborhood instead of at the track, and while I think that was a good call (I run races on the street, not the track, and I need more hill work in general), I also think I need to be smarter about cooldowns if I continue that. I realized that the soreness was impacting my walking stride.

When my daughter woke me up at 2:00 AM this morning and I still felt the same amount of soreness, I decided that this morning's run was either going to be bagged or shortened and done on the treadmill (no hills, forced adherence to pace). Of course, when I woke up three hours later to start my day, it felt OK, so I regretted not running. Now I'm trying to decide whether I give it a full rest day to avoid flaring it up again, or do I do a shorter treadmill run (maybe 3 miles instead of my scheduled 4?) to try to get some miles in. LR tomorrow is 6 miles, so I'm not overly concerned about that one.
 
Missing the occasional run to ensure you don't push yourself to injury is smart. I did the same this week with some hamstring soreness after our race.

Love the new thread title!
 


Hip was sore all day yesterday after my run, and I couldn't seem to stretch it into comfort. I ended up doing my "speed" workout in my hilly neighborhood instead of at the track, and while I think that was a good call (I run races on the street, not the track, and I need more hill work in general), I also think I need to be smarter about cooldowns if I continue that. I realized that the soreness was impacting my walking stride.

When my daughter woke me up at 2:00 AM this morning and I still felt the same amount of soreness, I decided that this morning's run was either going to be bagged or shortened and done on the treadmill (no hills, forced adherence to pace). Of course, when I woke up three hours later to start my day, it felt OK, so I regretted not running. Now I'm trying to decide whether I give it a full rest day to avoid flaring it up again, or do I do a shorter treadmill run (maybe 3 miles instead of my scheduled 4?) to try to get some miles in. LR tomorrow is 6 miles, so I'm not overly concerned about that one.

I like speed work on the roads instead of the track. But even though it's on the roads, it still needs to be relatively flat. Completely changes the workout to too hard if you try and do speed work on a hill. Not necessarily what we're going for. Take the time off to fix the solution now instead of later.
 
I hope your hip feels better!!!! Will pray to the running gods for you today so that it feels good the next time you run.
 
Day off it is. FWIW, I did try to keep the actual speed parts on the flattest part of the neighborhood. Will be more careful going forward. Thanks, @DopeyBadger!

@ZellyB glad you like the new title, I grabbed it from something @BikeFan wrote here! It felt particularly relevant since I'm "training" but not for anything in particular... just hoping to get better/not get worse.

@roxymama I forgot to tell you: I told @MoanasPapa that you suggested that we get something for eachother in lieu of the medals that won't be coming at the end of this cycle. He loved the idea. Guess what we decided to get eachother? A trip to Disneyland with our daughter while we're visiting family in CA! She's been super in to watching the parades and stage shows on YouTube lately, so we think she'll LOVE it.
 


@roxymama I forgot to tell you: I told @MoanasPapa that you suggested that we get something for eachother in lieu of the medals that won't be coming at the end of this cycle. He loved the idea. Guess what we decided to get eachother? A trip to Disneyland with our daughter while we're visiting family in CA! She's been super in to watching the parades and stage shows on YouTube lately, so we think she'll LOVE it.

WOW!!! Here I was thinking like some chocolate or flowers. Do me a favor and run through the castle with each other even if it's full of normal people in non-running clothes going about their normal park day :)
 
WOW!!! Here I was thinking like some chocolate or flowers. Do me a favor and run through the castle with each other even if it's full of normal people in non-running clothes going about their normal park day :)

For sure. We're doing it instead of buying eachother Christmas gifts. Plus, his parents live nearby, so we can just do it as a day trip while we're seeing them. It'll be so fun!
 
Monday Training Update (Week 2): Week Ending 10/8

This was the plan for the week:

T - 3 miles @ EA + Strides
Th - 1 mile @ WU, 6x400 @ 10k w/ 30 sec RI, 1 mi @ CD
F - 4 miles @ EB
Sa - 6 miles @ LR

Nothing interesting to report for the Tuesday run. The Wednesday run, as you may have seen earlier, was done in my neighborhood instead of on the track. While I tried to keep the "speed" intervals to flatter portions of the hilly neighborhood, I definitely overdid it and ended up with a pretty sore hip, which is unusual for me. So, Friday's run was bagged in favor of rest.

Saturday's long run got postponed until Sunday. Our kiddo just started gymnastics "class" (aka running around on apparatus for an hour because "class" is a stretch for the under-3 set) on Saturday. That class is right at the time we would normally do our long runs when we run together, so that messed up our timing. Then it was lunch time, then time to install the replacement shower door (@MoanasPapa accidentally shattered ours a couple of weeks ago... yikers), and then... well you get the picture. The day got away from us. So our Saturday LR became a Sunday LR. It was humid and rainy (come on weather, make up your mind--is it fall or not?). So it was gross. We took our daughter with us in the jogging stroller again and switched off pushing every mile, and that seemed to work out well. Pacing was a little off (12:40 instead of 12:27), but with the jogging stroller, heat, and elevation change, I can live with it.

Hip feels fine today, so back to my regularly scheduled plan.
 
Glad your hip is okay! We took my son to gymnastics classes when he was 2ish. It was sort of hilariously bad. He did enjoy it, but the teachers got kinda nasty about kids who didn't follow instructions well (hello? He was 2!), so we never went back after that one round of classes.

The weather. sigh. What the heck happened to fall?
 
We took my son to gymnastics classes when he was 2ish. It was sort of hilariously bad

We were worried about the same thing! But the class is designed for kids 1.5-3, so while she's on the younger side (she'll be two in November), the instructor was great about finding a balance between actually teaching and encouraging the kids to try new things and letting them play and do what they were comfortable with. Plus, the parents participate with their kids, so that helps with the wrangling. We did Saturday's class as a one-class trial (nice perk they offer), and signed her up on the spot after that class ended. Guess I'll have to find a new way to get my LR in on Saturday now!

She liked it so much that she's there at open gym with @MoanasPapa right now (I'm at work, no holiday for me). Apparently they got there a little before the open gym window started, and she got REALLY antsy to go in and play!
 
No "speed" workout for me today. I have a cold and am working from home. Gotta love those daycare germs my kid brings home.

Still debating getting a mile or two of slow running in, but I can't decide if that would make me feel better or worse. Leaning towards better. Chest isn't congested, just my head. Perhaps I'll jog up to the CVS that is a mile and a half away and get some more Sudafed, then grab a PSL from the Starbucks next to it to drink on the walk home. Yeah. That sounds doable. If the rain stops.
 
I’m reading an article by Bart Yasso on the Runner’s World website right now about his favorite races at every distance. I haven’t finished it yet, but I came across this quote in the article and thought it was worth saving here for posterity:

“What I’ve come to realize is that when the gun goes off, we all follow the same course to the finish line, but each of us has taken a different path to the starting line. Sometimes it’s riddled with obstacles of every sort. Other times we are blessed with smooth sailing from day one. But when you line up with hundreds or thousands of others on race day, you will find hundreds or thousands of different goals, expectations, and reasons for being there—all of them valid and important.”

I like this way of thinking about the journey each of us are on.
 
I’m reading an article by Bart Yasso on the Runner’s World website right now about his favorite races at every distance. I haven’t finished it yet, but I came across this quote in the article and thought it was worth saving here for posterity:

“What I’ve come to realize is that when the gun goes off, we all follow the same course to the finish line, but each of us has taken a different path to the starting line. Sometimes it’s riddled with obstacles of every sort. Other times we are blessed with smooth sailing from day one. But when you line up with hundreds or thousands of others on race day, you will find hundreds or thousands of different goals, expectations, and reasons for being there—all of them valid and important.”

I like this way of thinking about the journey each of us are on.

the whole article was good. I loved some of his recommendations and that advice was solid.
 
Monday Training Update (Week 3): Week Ending 10/15

This was the plan for the week:

T - 4 miles @ EA + Strides
Th - 1 mile @ WU, 8x400 @ 10k w/ 30 sec RI, 1 mi @ CD
F - 4 miles @ EB
Sa - 7 miles @ LR

I wondered when I looked back on this week if I'd be disappointed because I wasn't able to/chose not to follow my plan exactly because I was sick. But I'm actually pretty proud of it, despite the changes. Why? Because earlier this year I also got sick. I chose to skip one run after another, and ultimately completely stopped running, even though I was only sick for a few days. This time? Yeah, I chose to "take it easy" but still ran even on the day I was the sickest, even if it was just a short run. And I bounced back quickly for the rest of the week.

So yes, Tuesday was fine. My run was outside. It was pitch black the entire time. But it was really comfortable weather, and I felt nice and locked in. I did, unfortunately, really mess up pacing here, running at either 12:50 or 12:25 (depending on if you use the Activity App or Strava), which is a good bit faster than 13:44 I was targeting. I find that I'm having a really hard time with my EA pace because it has stopped feeling "natural" and now feels a little clunky. But my LR and 10k paces feel right for the effort, so really, it's on my to pay better attention and give my body a break.

Wednesday afternoon, I started to feel a head cold setting in. I had hoped it was just allergies, but I work in an office with good HVAC, so I knew that was not likely. By Wednesday evening, I was fully sick and really just wanted to go to bed as early as I could. I thought, if I wake up in the middle of the night and feel OK, then I'll try to get out for my run. But I woke up in the middle of the night feeling worse than when I went to bed, so I emailed my boss to say I'd be working from home, then turned off my running alarm. When I woke up in the morning, I felt marginally better, but I was glad that I had taken the extra hour and a half of sleep. But by the middle of the day I was tired of sitting in my pajamas, and I wanted to get out of the house. I was still congested and a little achey, but I figured a mile-ish (ended up being 1.2 miles) wouldn't be a huge ask on my body, and it might even make me feel better (spoiler: it did). So I laced up and I ran up to the CVS to get more decongestant, and thought "hey, I'll force myself to NOT run back" by getting myself some Starbucks. Which actually ended up being a good call because I 100% would have run the whole way home if not for the hot beverage in my hand... the run home would have been downhill and I was feeling runner-y.

Friday, I still didn't want to push it. I figured I'd do 3 on the treadmill at work (sleep more in the morning, force myself to pace properly). But I hit around 2.5 and was still feeling really good, so I decided I'd do my full 4. I surprised myself, because it used to be that when I gave myself the mental out ("You're still sick and congested and sore, so even running 3 will be an accomplishment), I'd gladly take it. But I guess I'm more dedicated to my plans and development as a runner? I don't know. The voice in my head went from "it's ok to stop" to "it's ok to keep pushing." I know an extra mile isn't a big deal, but for me, the mental shift is palpable.

Saturday's run got moved to Sunday again. I'm going to have to figure out when/how I can get my long runs in on Saturday with our daughter's gymnastics class now occupying the space where we used to run. Sunday seems to just be easier now, but I don't want to lose the cumulative fatigue benefits of my three back-to-back days. Anyways, when I set out on Sunday, I told myself that I was going to pick a route that would bring me back by my house in 5 miles in case I was still not 100% from being sick. If I felt like bagging the run then, I would. Mentally, seven miles still seems like such a hurdle. The first seven miler I did during my last training cycle was my worst run mentally and physically of the entire cycle. But I got halfway to five and thought "eh, I'll shoot for six" and then I got to four and a half and said "eh, why not just get the full seven." Again, it seems I've gone from "it's ok to stop" to "it's ok to keep pushing." @MoanasPapa took our daughter on a bike ride while I was out, and I ran in to them around mile four, so that was a fun distraction until she was ready to go home. I felt really good after the run. Not achey, not too fatigued. I think I need to just believe in myself and my ability to hit 6, 7, 8 miles without it being a monumental task.

This coming week is a little wonky because I have a race on Sunday. So my speed workout is Tuesday instead of Thursday. Then Thursday, Friday, and Saturday are all shorter EB/EA runs. Then MCM 10k on Sunday! I have no idea when we're going to fit packet pickup in on Saturday, but I'm excited for it because it will be the first race I do that has an honest-to-goodness expo.

Question for @DopeyBadger: since I missed my speed workout last week, should I stick with the 10x400s I have tomorrow? Or cut to the 8x400 I was supposed to do last week? I feel like I'd be ok to do the 10, but you're the coach. And am I racing Sunday, or just treating it as a training run?
 
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Well done on a week when you were sick! It's so tough to make yourself do that. You are doing so great on your mileage and before you know it doing those longer miles won't seem like a big deal at all.
 
Well done on a week when you were sick! It's so tough to make yourself do that. You are doing so great on your mileage and before you know it doing those longer miles won't seem like a big deal at all.

Thank you! I think a big part of the intimidation is just mental now. I have to be able to trust that I can do 6/7/8 miles without it being this monumental task/achievement. I think probably just more experience - my expectations of myself and my limitations will adjust accordingly.

Also, I just got a frost alert for tonight/tomorrow morning, which should make my speed workout interesting. It will be 40* when I head out. While I'm glad for fall weather...

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