I'm linking up with the Weekly Run Down, please head over to Kim and Deborah to check it out.
When we left off from last week's adventures, the plan was to cut back on mileage a bit so that I would be nice and fresh to tackle a hilly 15k today. With race cancellations mounting, I started to appreciate the race a bit more knowing that it would likely be my last race for a while. Somewhere on the internet I shot off my mouth that this race was so small that there was just no way it would ever be canceled...
Monday: no running, since I'd run 10 miles the day before, quickie weight stuff.
Tuesday: back up and at it. 5 treadmill miles with 6 x 5 minutes fast/2 minutes recover.
Wednesday: normally a rest day, but my schedule was out of whack because of Monday's rest day and it was a good chance to get some easy OUTDOOR miles in. We put the stepsons on their school bus, and then it was just light enough outside to set off for 3.14 miles. Why 3.14 miles specifically? Because one of my favorite bloggers did a "week of pi" 3.14 mile daily streak in honor of March 14th (her birthday/pi day) and I wanted to get in on the fun. Time wise it's tough to get a run in and then get showered, hair dried, etc and out the door in time BUT every once in a while I do it anyway.
Thursday: I hit up the tready for 5 miles, 1 mile warm up and then 0.25 miles fast/0.25 miles slow and got that one last commute in. My company doesn't mess around, Thursday was the last in office day for anyone with the ability to WFH.
Friday: weights and then out the door for a 4 mile hill run. Another runner had the same idea but was running in the opposite direction, so we got to lap each other. Pre-COVID I would have given him a high 5, as it was my new normal is a thumbs up.
Saturday: with no race on Sunday, I was out the door for a long run. 10 miles, and I took a route that's a bit hillier than normal, although nothing nearly like what the race course would have been. This was my slowest long run in quite a while, although anytime my average pace is under 12 minutes, it's a big deal. Miles 5 and 7 both have 100 ft of "up" in them.
Race Cancellation Recaps
- The Hilly 15k: the race was being held at a school, and the school said no thanks to hosting a bunch of strange germs in their building. Registration deferred until next year.
- The Chicago Shamrock Shuffle: registration will be refunded.
In theory I have a half marathon and 10 miler in April and a 5k and half in May. I fully expect the races to be canceled, but I will be ready and pleasantly surprised if they aren't. The game plan is to stay in half marathon shape through the May half marathon. Races are a great way to "prove it" but the real reason that we run is to take care of our health and to be the best that we can be.
Now that I'm not wasting my time on silly stuff like driving to work, I have enough daylight to run in the mornings, so treadmill season is over as long as the weather plays along. My tentative plan is:
Monday: easy run, I want to try to make it a bit longer than I've been doing on the treadmill
Tuesday: longer/slower speed efforts, I'm thinking half mile intervals. Speed workouts off the treadmill are very different than speed workouts on the treadmill, so I'll start very conservatively with these
Wednesday: up in the air, will either be rest or a very short easy run
Thursday: shorter/faster speed efforts, I'm thinking one minute hard/one minute easy
Friday: hill day!
Saturday: long run day, alternate between 8 and 10 miles each week, or whatever my mood is on the day
Sunday: off
The goal of the speed workouts is to sub 30 May's 5k and start working on my goal of running a sub 9 minute mile (my fastest mile last year was 9:16).
Getting Social
I shut down notifications and uninstalled the apps for Facebook and Twitter a long time ago and it has been wonderful. The heart of my beef is "curated content". When I go on these sites I don't see postings from my friends, I see a bunch of ads, and if I wanted that, I could just watch TV. I get that the socials need to make money, but being on these sites simply isn't enjoyable for me any more. Reading a billion blogs and rambling my heart out in this space, now that's a good scene.
But...it has come to my attention that folks are posting good stuff on Instagram so I finally got on board and signed up last Sunday and hey, I like it quite a lot. The 'gram will be the "what" of my daily training (picture of a Garmin or treadmill showing the distance and pace, and if you're into that this is where to find it) and this blog will be the "who, when, where, why".
Happy training my friends!
Welcome to IG I like it so much better than FB. Training is never wasted and great job keeping yours up and getting that 10 miler in this weekend. Thanks for sharing your positivity here and for linking up today. Have a great week
ReplyDeleteThanks Deborah! I hope you got home all right.
DeleteThe "new" normal is such a great title, especially after this week!
ReplyDeleteThat's great that you were able to defer or get a refunds for the cancelled races. It seems like a lot of races are offering either option which is great!
Welcome to Instagram :)
Thanks Kim!
DeleteThe cancellations are quite a punch to the gut. Nothing like having your schedule almost totally erased. So weird. That's awesome you do not have to go to the office. I just found you over on IG!
ReplyDeleteEh I'm alright with the cancellations, the races will be there when life gets back to normal, and I think it's the right call to shut it all down now. I'm very grateful to be home with my family.
DeleteI hear you on social media, but I still enjoy Instagram! So many great memes lately..
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about your race cancellation; I thought the same about a little local 8k we had on Saturday, but I guess there were more than 250 people involved, which is more than the local government was allowing to get together, so the race was off! What a weird time we're living in!
Yes, weird times but it's all good. The races will be there when life gets back to normal.
DeletePretty sad about all the race cancellations. My entire race calendar for spring has been wiped out. While I'm sad about the Shuffle, my 10 miler wasn't cancelled, just postponed to July. I do have to work, tho. You know us healthcare folks. We don't close.
ReplyDeleteExactly, you don't close and you don't WFH. Mad props.
DeleteI was so happy to see you on Insta!!!! And, again, thanks for Pi'ing with me this week...so nice to have an awesome support system ;-) I'll give you a shout-out in my Week of Pi recap on Tuesday. I have a couple of 13.1's happening in April that area still a go...fingers crossed nothing changes. My Chocoholic 10K (March 28th) is still on as well. But, like you said, we race to "prove it," but we run for fitness. We WILL get through this season just fine ;-)
ReplyDeleteFingers crossed always! We're here for the journey.
DeleteInterested to see what you think of IG. I get a lot of ads there (every few posts) and the algorithm there sucks for me — If I like a post I will see 5 posts from the same person and none from others.
ReplyDeleteoh no, that's what I get on FB now. Oh well.
DeleteI was so pleased to find you on Insta! I have a similar plan as you in terms of April/May Races... particularly my marathon to be held on 3rd May. Come what may, I'll be ready!
ReplyDeleteIt must be so tough to have a marathon on the calendar this spring! But yes, as runners we are ready for whatever comes.
DeleteOh, I love IG! So many animal accounts!
ReplyDeleteSometimes we do have to step back from social media, but it's the realm in which my business exists, so...
I love the idea of continuing to train and dealing with the cancelations if or when they come.
Yes if social was part of my work I'd have a much different attitude toward it.
DeleteThat's a good idea to keep training to be in half marathon shape just so you're ready in case the races do happen :) I've stopped with the high fives and hand shakes too. Now it's just waving from afar.
ReplyDeleteI remember so many times that a high five has given me an extra shot of energy in a race, looks like the new normal will be air pushing a press for power sign.
DeleteI like Instagram so much more than facebook or twitter! Sorry about your races. It is nice to not have to commute right now!
ReplyDeleteOh man, so nice, not gonna lie there are many things that I'm loving about social distancing.
DeleteWelcome to IG! I really like it a lot and just followed you.
ReplyDeleteI'm so bummed that so many races are having to be canceled, but totally understand. We all have to do our part and social distancing is the key. I've had to shut down my personal training business until we get past the risk of spreading COVID-19. It was one of the hardest decisions I've had to make.
I'm so sorry Debbie, that must have been a wrenching decision. The right one, but not an easy one when it's your livelihood. I am hopeful that by shutting everything down now that we'll be back to normal soon.
DeleteI feel like IG is my happy place. People always seem to post positive stuff only, so that makes me happy. I had to unsubscribe to a bunch of stuff on Twitter (I only used it for a short time) because everyone was so angry and ranting! Ugh. No thanks. Your "not training" weekly plan sounds great! I will need to write one out for myself since my race was canceled. Great job on your workouts this week!!
ReplyDeleteUgh Twitter! I don't know what it is about being limited to short messages that makes everyone so nasty. I'm not going anywhere near it until COVID-19 is gone.
Deletestaying with your training is always a good idea! i think most of us either have had a race cancelled or is being threatened with a cancellation. I try not to say things out loud too much either... I tend to get a backlash from it (re your small race)!
ReplyDeleteI am happy to see you on IG too! though I haven't been on much lately. I'm just too overwhelmed :(
ha ha I didn't get backlash it was more like I jinxed the race by saying it was too small to be canceled. I hope that Park Run is back soon, hang in there.
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