“Happiness is a function of reality minus expectations.”

7/2: Easy run w/ strides

I woke up a bit later than usual today but I have a flexible calendar to get everything done. The sleep was needed to catapult my recovery in the right direction. The lessons of 2023 have made me re-emphasize my recovery needs.

My run assignment was 5mi easy + 5 turbo strides w/ recovery walk between them. It was a toasty one, since I waited until 11:30am to get started and the temps had risen to 75F with 60% RH. I was dripping after 1mi. The air felt thick, but the breeze was welcomed. I opted for the park because I don’t like “trash-day” for running in my neighborhood.

The cloudy skies seemed to hide the sun at least, so I succumbed to the humidity and got moving after my warmup. After Mile 3, I wished I had brought water along but I opted for my armband instead of my hydration pack. I still had 3 x 25g gels with me but really wanted some hydration. The last 0.25mi of the run felt like mud and my legs were just done. I stopped by my car and grabbed some cold beverages before a pitstop at the restroom. Then, I got to work on those turbo strides. I made sure to NOT do them into the wind gusts since I was already tired. The strides felt good, except one of them when I was literally on the heels of someone else running and it felt awkward to be chasing them. I wrapped up and grabbed my UCan recovery protein drink.

Today, my focus was on how much the last one year has meant to me and how I knew I had to be patient to get to where I am today. I’m not satisfied with where I am at, but I’m on track and making progress. I’ve come a LONG ways in the last year, battling through a season-ending journey and the most crazy circus of setbacks out of my control. It finally feels good to string along consistency, even when I get impatient with my progress. I really am doing remarkable and I need to keep going after my goals, eagerly yet safely. A little progress adds up to something good at just the right time and I’m searching for that time!

• What went well: exceptional recovery going into the workout
• What could have gone better: unintentional hills still felt like garbage and no power
• Shoes for the run: Brooks Ghost 15

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7/4: Long run

Because I’m heading out of town and don’t want to do my long run when I get back, I opted to tackle it early in the week. I woke up early to fuel and get moving, which I thought was a good idea, but it just wasn’t early enough! The temps had me cooking: it started off at 65F and heated up to 80F by the time I finished. It was ungodly humid and I fell apart by Mile 10 of 13. It took everything for me to not bail on this run and call it a day. I kept watching my paces slow and my heart rate speed up. I was out of water and out of gels. The body started to hurt because I was fatigued. The run started off really good, but the summer weather was no match for me. I finished my 13-mile long run, but it left me salty – physically and mentally. These long runs are just a dumpster fire lately and it’s messing with my mindset, opening the door of doubts that I need to close.

• What went well: I finished it.
• What could have gone better: I could have woke up earlier to run in the dark instead of the sun.
• Shoes for the run: Brooks Ghost 15

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7/6: Glorified training run

A short weekend Up North for sunshine, views, and good vibes brought me an opportunity to lace up for a simulated “race” experience that I used for a glorified training run. Back in 2017, I ran the Cherry Festival Half Marathon and the views are rewarding along the west coast of Old Mission Peninsula. Since I’m not in half-marathon “shape” with the leg turnover needed for that and in the midst of training for a full marathon, this year I chose the Cherry Festival 15k, which would give me around 9.3mi to work through confidence, race day vibes, fueling, knock off some rust, and figuring out how to trust my skeleton again. I kept my mindset focused on a “training run” agenda which allowed me to be more relaxed and not really care about everyone else. I had two goals for the day: have fun and not break any bones.

Race morning brought a cool 62 degrees with overcast skies, except a sweltering 95% humidity that made sweat feel like gum sticking to the skin. I had to adjust my game day plan a bit, because I was not interested in becoming a victim of the summer weather. I needed to be a bit more conservative than my original plan.

For my warmup, I took my bagel and pre fuel bar and water to the track, just off to the side of the starting line area. People started piling in for the 5k, 10k, and 15k. (The half marathon started farther up the peninsula). I walked a few track laps, hopped in the porta-potty line, did my mobility drills, and jogged one track lap before finishing up my pre-fuel snacks and hydration. I helped my husband get ready for his 10k and waved him off. Then my group started for the 15k, where I packed into the last third of the group because I wanted to go out slower than most.

This “training run” experience took me around a few neighborhoods, before following the beautiful east coast of Old Mission Peninsula, then a sharp west turn up gigantic mountain of a hill (150ft in 0.5mi), past vineyards, followed by an incredible descent before curving to the left to follow the west coast of Old Mission Peninsula, with a finish on the streets of downtown Traverse City. The views were stunning, the road was well taken care of, and the sweat was very sticky.

I tried my best to keep the first 3mi relaxed and comfortable, but I felt like the people that chose the 15k were very fast. I glanced at my watch a few times and knew I had to scale it back. By around 2mi, I passed a handful of people who had gone out too fast. I did not want to be one of them! When I got to McKinley Rd, the ascent of a long 1.5mi with two separate hills began. I started off feeling like I could keep it moving, but then the 5% grade took a toll and I had to walk for a few minutes. That first hill leveled off, only to find one more hill after. On both sides were beautiful vineyards. Just after the hills, I could see out into Grand Traverse Bay. I wanted to enjoy the view, but the descent of the hill was pounding at my hips. I had to forcefully dig my heels in more to prevent the forward momentum from getting out of hand. Luckily, I stayed on top of hydration and gels, so I came off the hills and felt pretty good. I passed a few people working out their kinks on the side of the road (they probably went out too fast). I passed a few more and just kept working at my goal for this portion of the run: to see what I had left in me. I felt like I could have gone faster but I was scared the humidity would eat me, so I pushed the effort a little bit but not as much as I had planned. The last portion of the run joined the TART trail where some of the 5k and 10k racers were already walking back. It became a game of dodging them and passing others still running. Once I hit the downtown portion, I kicked it in another notch and hung on to finish strong. I made my way to grab some ice and toss it down my shirt, grab some cherry juice, and find my husband who had finished his 10k. We jetted over to the water to grab a few photos before carrying on with the rest of the now sun-filled summer day.

All in all, this training run went way better than my long run this week, even with more humidity and more hills. My goal was to have fun, which helped! One less strength session this week helped me to find some pop in my legs and not be so fatigued and sluggish. The training run was productive and the finish line cherries were just the topper to a task well-done. Was it perfect? Nope, but progress over perfection is what I’m here for. Reality exceeded my expectations so I was happy with the day’s success. I’ll carry that momentum with me throughout this month, as I kick things up and sharpen my capabilities.

• What went well: fueling, hydrating, planning a good enough training run, confidence
• What could have gone better: not being nervous to crank in the speed (I’m so scared to push too far!)
• Shoes for the run: NB FuelCell Rebelv4

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7/7: Recovery run

After traveling, unpacking, laundry, food, showering, and a nap, I had a mobility workout on my list and a short recovery run. The weather was a typical summer evening. While the outdoors looked sunny, I really wanted to maximize my recovery and do things properly so I jetted downstairs to get to work.

While I don’t love the t-mill, I do love controlling my own climate as much as possible. Tonight, this meant 3 fans, shorts, sports bra, and the A/C dropped to 64 F. The temp monitor read 49% RH. What a difference! I programmed my watch as a time-based workout, but funny thing is that the t-mill distance and watch distance were exactly on-point with each other when I finished. I wasn’t in the mood for any tv or iPad videos, so I just cranked up the Pandora playlist and let my mind roam to whatever it felt like.

My heart rate graphs from Saturday’s and Sunday’s run show the huge difference. If there’s just one thing I have been hacking really well this build, it would be my emphasis on recovery. It has taken a lot of work, but I knew I had to keep this run super easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy RPE 2-3. I got to have fun yesterday so it was time to reward my skeleton for its hard work. And this is why I actually feel great, just about at halfway of my current marathon build. Here’s to more patience and hope that things will fall into place at the exact time! I would love all of that!

• What went well: rocking the purpose of the run
• What could have gone better: nothing!
• Shoes for the run: Saucony Ride