Run Recap: Weekend-Long Marathon & Virtual Providence Half Marathon

Over Indigenous People's Day weekend I decided to give myself a little bit of a running challenge. I was originally supposed to be running the 2020 Chicago Marathon and I was bumming hard that I wasn't going to be there, so I decided to try to do something special - a weekend-long marathon! The plan was to try to get to 26.2 miles total from Friday to Sunday. I've been wanting to get my body used to running on back to back days and running on tired legs, so I made a plan to build up my mileage each day starting with the shortest distance on Friday and the longest distance on Sunday. Of course, first step was laying out all of my gear for the weekend!

You'll notice that I had a bib on this pile - that's because I was planning to *finally* run the Virtual Providence Half Marathon that I was originally supposed to run in May! Packets for this race didn't come in the mail until mid-summer, and I think at that point I was feeling pretty salty that all of my races were getting cancelled, so the idea of a virtual half that was supposed to be in-person was too much to bear so I kept putting it off. For this weekend, though, I wanted to have something to celebrate to replace what was supposed to be an amazing trip to Chicago, another state completed in my 50 States challenge, and my very first Abbot World Major Marathon. So I thought that this weekend was the perfect weekend to finally finish the PVD Virtual Half and have some race bling to brag about once my weekend-long marathon was complete.

FRIDAY (6.23 miles)

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6.23/26.2 ✅ First 3 with my running buddy 🐕 and the last 3.23 solo! 🏃🏻‍♀️ • We’re under a month away until the Chicago Virtual @hotchocolate15k and 5k! I can’t wait to get my hands on the swag 🤩 and of course ALL THE CHOCOLATE! 🍫 Join me virtually on November 8 by registering at hotchocolate15k.com/chicago! 🧡 • #HCChiBR #HCVirtualBR #bibchat #bibravepro #virtualrace #weekendlongmarathon #instarunners

A post shared by Riley (@rmfickfack) on Oct 9, 2020 at 2:35pm PDT

Day 1 of the challenge was pretty straight forward, and a great way to kick off the weekend! I ran the first 3 miles with Miss Snowy and the second 3 solo, with a .23 mile cool down walk. I don't think that there was anything too significant to write home about for this run, but it was good to kick off the weekend feeling strong and having some positive energy entering a running challenge!

SATURDAY (7.09 miles)

Day 2 was SO DANG HOT! 🔥🔥🔥 In reality the weather was beautiful and I was thankful that we had a random warm day in the middle of the week, but I was really underprepared for the heat. (Note how red my face was!) I was wearing shorts for this run but I was also wearing a long-sleeve tech shirt for the first 6 miles which was ROUGH. I picked up Snowy to run the last mile with me, and needed to shed the long sleeve or I probably would have passed out haha. Overall this was a great run, though, and I was glad to get through it. 

SUNDAY - Virtual Providence Half Marathon (13.11 miles)

The last day of the challenge was the day I was finally running the Virtual Providence Half Marathon! I had other plans later on in the morning so I got up SUPER early to get out the door and get my miles in. The morning actually started out really warm and muggy, but as the sun rose it got progressively colder? 🤔 It was very strange. I did a few shorter loops closer to home while it was still dark out in an effort to stay safe, and then when the sun finally rose I did a larger loop to get myself to 13.1. I felt good pretty much the entire run and kept the pace nice and slow. I picked up Snowy for the final mile so that she could celebrate my finish with me!

The Providence Half Marathon sent along a decent amount of swag items with your registration, including a fleece zip-up hoodie and a tech shirt along with the medal and bib. I've actually been trying to run this race in person for a few years (I was trying to run the full for my Rhode Island marathon before I ran Newport!), and I never pulled the trigger on registering until this year for the half marathon. Unfortunately I picked the year that COVID struck and cancelled the race! However, I appreciate how communicative the race organizers were in navigating the unknown waters of cancelling a race during a pandemic. It did take them a while to send out the race packets to everyone (which honestly is why it took me so long to complete the race!), but they did their best to make sure runners felt accommodated and I really appreciate that. It hasn't been an easy year on the running community, but I know race organizers are trying their absolute best!

I ran a total of 26.43 miles over the course of the three days! 

It felt great to get out there and tackle a challenge like this, even if it was self-imposed. I definitely see more random challenges like this in my future. They make running fun! I highly recommend trying it yourself if you're struggling to find motivation. It's definitely helped me quite a bit! 🏃‍♀️

Making the Most of Self-Isolation

I am so thankful that during this time of self-isolation that I'm able to spend time with Brett doing the introverty things I love. I won't say I'm not anxious because I SO AM. I feel like I start off really strong in the mornings and then when lunch rolls around my mood and energy tend to shift, but I'm trying to make the most of this time by doing things that 1. are good for me (exercising somewhat regularly & trying to eat at least one green thing a day 🍃) and 2. are fun for me (reading, watching TikTok [maybe too much TikTok], trying out some of the various IPAs I can find at the store, etc.).

As of yesterday, our Governor has put in a couple more precautions including a stay-at-home advisory (it's still not a stay-at-home order which is interesting) and all non-essential businesses will be closed as of noon today. Things change so rapidly these days that I'm not sure what the next day will bring. As of right now, we're doing our best to stay in except to go out to the grocery store or exercise outside. It can be very hard to stay positive these days, but I'm trying my best to remain productive so my mental health doesn't get too far away from me.

On Saturday we had a Zoom/Nintendo Switch party with our favorites in Pittsburgh & California! We drank, played Mario Kart 8, and caught up on each other's lives. It was actually so much fun to just hang out with everyone in our respective homes and we want to continue to make this a regular thing post-Pandemic since we all live so far from one another!

Like I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I've been using this time at home as an opportunity to try out some of the beers that we have at our local grocery store. There's actually a pretty decent craft beer selection and I've been really digging White Lion. This weekend I picked up an IPA called Purrlicious and it purr-fectly (lol) matched my leggings I wore for our Zoom party! I've already picked up another White Lion IPA for later this week that I'm super excited to try. I'll report back soon!

There was a sneaky round of 24 in 48 this weekend! I really enjoy this readathon. There's something about reading for time that just makes me read SO MUCH MORE than reading for a page count. I haven't really been reading a ton over the last year and it's really hard for me to hunker down and focus on a book these days. However, participating in 24 in 48 allowed me to finish two books and absolutely devour half of a third! (Also, can we talk about just how good Daisy Jones & the Six is?! Can't wait to finish it.) I'm hoping that I can use this time as an opportunity to read more of my dozens of TBR books!

As you saw in my last blog post, it's back to marathon training for me this week. I got back into my running routine last week, though, and it has been such a great reprieve from all this anxiety and uncertainty that's been coursing through my body. I was able to go on three runs last week - Tuesday (3.5 miles), Friday (4 miles), and Sunday (7 miles) and it felt so good to get outdoors and run through the stress. I feel like if there's one thing I can take control of at the moment, it's running.

Sadly I found out today that the Providence Marathon and all attached races has officially been cancelled. The race organizers are looking into a postponement option and we will hopefully know if they are able to by early April. I'd also be happy with a virtual race option is postponing isn't possible. Either way, I am not surprised by this news and it is ultimately the right decision. I'm still hopeful that Rock n' Roll Seattle will be able to happen, but only time will tell.

One thing that I have been really loving participating in is the Pandemic Run Club on Instagram! They've been putting out some virtual running missions that are free to participate in and are actually a lot of fun! I've completed Mission #001 (go on 3 runs between 3/17 and 3/22) and Mission #002 (Recon: explore a new location that you haven't ran before) so far, and they just posted Mission #003 last night. Join in with me if you can! I'll be representing TEAM BLACK! 🖤 

"Mission 003 - complete before 3/30

Team Yellow - 19K total distance for the week
Team Red - 19 miles total distance for the week
Team Black - between 19km and 19 miles in one run!

19km ~ 11.78 miles
19 miles ~ 30.64 km

Which squadron are you linking up with? Time to get after it! We need all hands on deck!

#washyourhands
#runsolo
#knowyourcity
#pandemicrunclub"

Left: I spruced up my at-home work space to make it feel more office-y and less kitchen table-y

Right: Paying attention in all these Zoom meetings has been a struggle haha

I've been working remotely since last Monday afternoon and it has been an interesting transition. I'm having kind of a hard time figuring out my schedule. Like I was saying, I feel really good in the morning and then I start to feel not so good in the afternoon. Last night after taking a few hour break in the afternoon I felt good enough to keep working at like 7pm. Why? No idea. But maybe that will just be my workflow now haha. Either way, I've been loving all of the WFH memes that have been flying around the internet and I relate to ALL OF THEM.

I was wondering when the news about the Olympics would be coming out, and it looks like the IOC finally made a decision today to postpone the games to 2021. Another huge bummer because as many of you know, I'm a huge fan of the Olympics! But again, it's totally the right call. With athletes, coaches, families, and spectators coming from ALL OVER THE WORLD that closely after a pandemic (and who knows if it will even be over by the time the games would take place), it just does not make sense to have the Olympics go on right now.

This morning Brett and I went on a mission to find toilet paper. After getting to our 4th store of the morning, we finally found some! (I went to 5 stores yesterday and each store was completely out, so it felt AMAZING to be able to buy a few packs!) The limit was 2 per customer so we each grabbed two so we hopefully won't be needing to restock for a while. It's so wild to me that the shelves are still ALWAYS EMPTY? Maybe I don't know how supply chains work but you'd think they would have caught up to the new buying habits of consumers... but maybe not?

v. proud

Because non-essential businesses are closing in MA today, Brett and I have been ordering take out for the last few meals. This morning we stopped at my fave bagel shop in town one last time. Hopefully we'll be seeing them soon!

Overall this has just been a really, really weird and overwhelming time and I honestly don't know how to act, but I'm trying to make the most of it. I'm hopeful that this will be over in a few weeks and we can get back to reality, because what's the harm in staying hopeful? In the meantime, at least we can all laugh at coronavirus memes.

Remember: 

What Comes Next? // #Sub5orBust Update

...you've been freed!

Don't you know how hard it is to lead?

(Had to make the Hamilton reference. 😂)

I was planning on writing this post at some point after the LA Marathon anyway to outline my next race plans, but because of COVID-19, the future is a bit hazier than any of us are used to at the moment. As of right now, none of the races that I'm registered for have been cancelled or postponed, but that can change at any moment. I'm not really someone who likes to sit around and wait for other people to make decisions for me, so even though the likelihood of my next races getting the ax is rather high, I'm still planning to train for them like they're going to happen as scheduled. I just don't see any harm of following a training cycle when the race itself is up in the air. If anything, I'll continue to improve my running and be in better shape for when my next race day comes around!

Here are the next two races on my 2020 calendar:

Providence Half Marathon

May 3, 2020

I am genuinely surprised a decision hasn't been announced yet for this race. I've seen multiple races at the end of May already getting postponed, but it has been a little radio silent from the race directors for the Providence Marathon. Folks on the Facebook event page (including myself) are getting restless to hear back and I'm hoping they will post something soon. Either way, I'll have a half marathon scheduled in my training for this weekend, so if I can't run an officially sanctioned race in Providence, then I'll just run a solo half around my neighborhood!

Rock n' Roll Seattle Marathon

June 7, 2020

Washington being a hot spot for COVID-19 at the moment makes me really doubt that this race will go on. Rock n' Roll has already postponed their late-May event so I know this one is next on the chopping block. I hope this is going to be a postponement instead of a cancellation and fingers crossed it won't wind up on a weekend that I'm already registered for another race.

Whatever happens with Rock n' Roll Seatlle, I know that I'm going to need to focus on HILL WORK for this marathon. I've naively gotten used to running on flat bike paths, so for this training cycle I'm going to add in a day of just running up and down a hill in my area. 😂 I have a few steep bois in mind, and I'm definitely not looking forward to it. 😜

The training plan:

I'm going to be using the same marathon training plan I used for my last cycle, but I'm going to hop in on week 6 since I'm already up to marathon fitness. For my strength training I will be relying on my live-in personal trainer (aka Brett) to help me do more full-body strengthening. The strength training plan I used last time, while effective, only focused on my lower body. I want to be strong all around if I can be! In short, this training cycle will be all about building on my strength, identifying weak spots and working on those (MY HIPS), and hillz hillz hillz. Here's what a typical week is going to look like this time around:

Here's the marathon training plan I'll be using!

Monday: Rest!

Tuesday: Run #1

Wednesday: Run #2 + lift

Thursday: HILLS 💀

Friday: Rest!

Saturday: Run #3 + lift

Sunday: Long run

I found that posting weekly training updates here on the blog kept me accountable, so I will be bringing those back! I'm also planning to do some virtual buddy runs on my Instagram stories throughout the duration of this quarantine/social distancing time, so make sure to follow me over there to hear when the next one is! I'll try to post at least 24 hours in advance so you'll be able to join in. 😊

I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy out there! 

I'll be writing again soon. 💜

2020 Half Marathon Schedule (So Far!)

Life in my neck of the woods has been a lil crazy lately in both my work and personal life (as it always gets this time of year!), so I apologize for the lack of life updates from me over here on the blog. I hope you all enjoyed my posts about my New Orleans trip (which you can find here, here, and here) because I had a blast sharing them with you! I'm hoping once I'm done with travel post-LA weekend (so mid-March 😂) I'll be able to get back to my normal blogging rhythm and update you on my non-running aspects of my life, but until then just know that even though I've been busy I've been having a great time!

I'm about to jet off to Orlando for Princess Half Marathon weekend and I am oh so excited! ✈ There will definitely be Disney posts and vlogs coming your way when I return so get excited for that! I feel like my full marathons get the bulk of the attention on my blog and socials, but because I'm about to embark on my first half marathon of the year, I thought I would highlight all of the half marathons I'm planning to run in 2020. (So far! There's always room for more. 😉) I really love the half marathon distance because I feel like while it's still a huge undertaking when it comes to endurance, it's also a distance where I feel comfortable trying to push the pace on. I hope to see some of you at these races throughout the year!

Disney Princess Half Marathon

Sunday, February 23
Orlando, FL

The Disney Princess Half Marathon has been on my bucket list since I was in college and I am SO JAZZED that I finally get to run it this Sunday! Like I said, I'll be posting plenty about my experience here and on my channel, but definitely follow along on Twitter and Instagram as I'm sure I'll be making plenty of posts in real-time. 👑

Providence Half Marathon

Sunday, May 3
Providence, RI

I love staying a bit local for half marathons and shorter distances. It allows me to make it either a morning or day trip instead of it being a multi-day affair like my marathons tend to be. I'm extra excited that my Half Fanatics membership got me a baller discount for the Providence Half Marathon this May because I've been eyeing this race for a while! Providence is only about 30 minutes from where I live so it'll be a great way to spend a Sunday morning after a crazy spring semester!

John & Jessie Kelley Half Marathon

Saturday, August 1
New London, CT

I ran this race last summer and I was totally impressed by it! This is a race that runs completely on runner donations and if you can't afford a donation you are still able to run it for free. I honestly wasn't expecting much more than an outlined course but I was blown away at how much volunteer support they had, how many water stations were available, and the fact that there were finisher's medals! This race is only open to 1,000 runners and the registration doesn't open until May, but I totally want to go back and maybe make this a recurring race for myself!

Smuttynose Rockfest Half Marathon

Sunday, October 4th
Hampton, NH

Disclaimer: I received entry to the Smuttynose Rockfest Half Marathon to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

As I mentioned in my previous post about this race, I have been wanting to run the Smuttynose Rockfest Half for years, so I was pumped that I was added to the BibRave Pro team that was running this event! I am so excited to return to my home state and run along the coast, and I'm especially excited to experience the post-race party. There is plenty more on this race to come, so stay tuned! If you're planning on registering (which you definitely should!) use the code "SAVE10" for 10% off your registration!

Mount Dora Half Marathon

Sunday, December 20
Mount Dora, FL

Disclaimer: I received entry to the Mount Dora Half Marathon & 5K to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!

The last half I have on my schedule (for now!) is the Mount Dora Half Marathon! I love me a good, festive race during the holidays and because now I'm usually down in Florida around Christmas, I'm always looking for a race that is near my parents. Luckily, the opportunity presented itself for me to run the Mount Dora Half in December! We have quite a bit of time before this race comes around (just a cool 10 months 😂) but I'm excited for the festive feel of this small town race! Use the code "BIBRAVE" for 10% off your registration and join me in Florida this December!