Go Away, Cold // #Sub5orBust Training Update (March 23 - March 30, 2020)

Hey there folks. Hope everyone is doing well. I'm......... okay. I feel like the last few days have been a bit more of a struggle for me. I don't know if it's because it's been pretty gloomy over these last couple days, being at the house so often is making me crazy, or WHAT, but I'm having a lot of trouble sleeping and I'm just overall very anxious about what's going on in the world. I'm trying to take things day by day and give myself a break, but I'm just feeling very blah and negative right now. *sigh* Hopefully tomorrow will bring more cheer!

CURRENT STATUS OF ROCK N' ROLL SEATTLE MARATHON: 

ON AS SCHEDULED!

I figured I can report on this week to week as we never know if or when this might change.

Week 1 of #RnR Seattle Training

Monday 3/23 → Rest

Tuesday 3/24 → 5 miles @ 9:38/mi

Wednesday 3/25 → 6 miles @ 10:33/mi + lift with Brett

Thursday 3/26 → Rest

Friday 3/27 → Lift with Brett

Saturday 3/28 → 3.15 miles @ 9:53/mi

Sunday 3/29 → Rest

Monday 3/30 → 13 miles @ 

My right hip has been giving me a lot of grief since returning to running post-LA. It feels like it's super tight, fatigues easily, and is just overall really uncomfortable to run on. I'm trying to incorporate stretching and using The Stick and a lacrosse ball as much as possible to get at the problem areas, but it's definitely slowing me down. I think my Wednesday morning run is where it really came out to play and you can so see the difference in my splits between my Tuesday 5 miler and my Wednesday 6 miler.

Tuesday evening run...

...and Wednesday morning. Ouch.

On Saturday I had a 5K scheduled. It was super gray and rainy and my motivation was dipping. I texted my mom to see if she wanted to run virtually with me and she said yes! We decided to start running at the same time and check in with each other via text when we finished. It was a great way to "run" with someone without having to get together with them. Highly recommend trying it out with your running pals!

I usually aim to do my long runs on Sunday but I was just NOT feeling it this past Sunday. The weather has been more gloomy than not these days and I've also been sleeping so terribly, so my body and mind were just not there for a 13 mile run. However, now that I'm working remotely I can really make my schedule quite flexible so I went for a mid-day #MondayRunday to get my long run for the week done! I was participating in Mission #003 for the Pandemic Run Club and my team (TEAM BLACK!) needed to run between 19k and 19 miles in a singular run, so this was the perfect opportunity to get that mission accomplished! Of course, I tried to rock as much black (or navy blue lol) as possible:

I also have stumbled across a runner on Instagram - @julierunsfast - who has been posting running scavenger hunts each week! I definitely wanted to give this week's scavenger hunt a try and it was honestly such a blast. Having a list of things that I needed to spot while on my run had me trying to think creatively and the miles seemed to whiz by. I hope that she continues to post these each weekend so I have an additional thing to do while I'm running long miles! Here's how I did on my scavenger hunt:

Aaand here's how I did on my run: 

The run felt... okay. I think I was just mainly cold and was grumpy about that. After a few miles my legs warmed up and felt okay, but the fact that winter seems to be hanging on for dear life is making my desire to run plummet. Please hurry up, summer! *does warm weather dance* 🌞

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. 💜

Race Review: Running from the Stadium to the Sea & Another New PR!!! // Los Angeles Marathon Weekend 2020

Brett and I ventured out west a few weeks ago for marathon #14 - the Los Angeles Marathon! We left on an over night flight on the 6th which was brutal. We left Boston at 9:30pm EST and landed in LA at 1AM PST. WOOF. So thankful that Brett's cousin Stevie and his wife Yvonne was willing to take us in and cart us around for the weekend. (Shout out them for carting us around all weekend and showing us a great time!) We got back to the house around 2:30am and was greeted by signs that their daughters had made for us. They are so adorable! 😭

We woke up around 7:30AM the next morning which was a bit surprising, but maybe being on east coast time messed with our ability to sleep for longer. 😂 Our plan for the day was to head into LA (we were staying a bit outside the city) to hit the expo then grab a bite to eat. But first, shakeout run! I ran 2 miles around the neighborhood which was so needed after being on a cross-country flight for 6 hours. I must have felt great because my second mile was the fastest mile recorded on my Garmin to date. Woops! 😂

I showered up and we hit the road for LA. We made a stop for breakfast (Chick-fil-A, our fave #chickenbiscuits), popped by to see Brett's aunt, and picked up Yvonne before heading over to the LA Convention Center for the expo! We, of course, also needed to make a stop at Starbucks because I was essentially falling asleep standing up. I needed energy before wandering the vendor booths!

This expo was HUGE and pretty well organized as well. All of the bib and shirt pick up was up front so if you only wanted to grab your race packet you could quickly grab it and leave, but they had dozens of vendors and photo ops so we wanted to take full advantage. We could have definitely stayed at the expo for a while to check everything out! I think we were there for about 30-45 minutes or so just seeing what was around.

Gotta get all the pre-race photos with the bib!

After the expo we stopped at a restaurant across from the Staples Center called Tom's Watch Bar which has the MOST TVs I've ever seen in a restaurant. We were watching literally every sports event that was happening in the United States at the same time. 😂 I grabbed a bite to eat and drank my water while everyone else got to enjoy cocktails. (Probs the worst part of marathon weekend - not being able to indulge with everyone else until after the race. 😜🍹) We had a good time just chatting and planning what race day would look like. It's always so amazing to know there's folks in my life willing to sacrifice their weekends to support my crazy marathon endeavors!

We headed back home in the mid-afternoon to get ready for the next morning. We were about to lose an hour of sleep to daylight saving's so bedtime had to be early. 😩 I laid out everything I needed, packed my Camelbak, used the therapy gun on my legs, set my alarm for 3AM, and finally got into bed around 9pm. Here's my flat runner:

-USA Marathon Maniacs jersey

-Richmond Marathon finisher hat

-Cheapo don't-care-if-I-lose-or-break-them sunglasses

-Cropped leggings

-Handful Y-Back sports bra

-Brooks Adrenaline 19s

Not pictured: my Camelbak, stuffed with gels, blocks, and salt tablets

Fake 3AM (really 2AM) slapped us all in the face on race morning. I popped out of bed to get ready since we were hoping to be on the road by 4. Yvonne very kindly made me a breakfast smoothie (which was DELISH) and I am so thankful that she did that for me because I totally would have forgotten breakfast if she didn't. 😳 I don't know what it is about race morning but sometimes I get so focused on how the run is going to go that I forget everyhting else. Again, SO THANKFUL that I have amazing people around me to help me take on these 26.2 beasts!

I knew traffic on race morning was going to be nuts and we had tried our best to prepare for it. We got to the Dodger Stadium area by about 5:15am - about an hour and 45 minutes before the race started - but we still were stuck in so much traffic trying to actually drive up and park at the stadium. We waited in line for a while until we saw other runners hopping out of cars and walking their way to the stadium. Brett and I eventually decided to do that same with the hope that Stevie and Yvonne could meet up with us at the start before the race, but as we walked up the road we quickly realized that there was no way they would be able to make it to the stadium and park before I started running. Such a bummer! Definitely plan ahead when it comes to the starting line because with 27,000 runners + their loved ones all driving to the same place it will take you a long time before you can actually get there and park.

 

"Before" pics are always essential!

Luckily the walk wasn't so bad (maybe 10-15 minutes?) and it was actually good to get my body moving before the race! Brett and I found a spot in the parking lot and he put me through a dynamic warm up before heading over to the corrals (trainer boyfriend perks!). I was in the open corral which meant that we were the last to start, but I believe the majority of the field was in the open corral so you could just hop in wherever. After the elites and seeded corrals were off, it was our turn! I really appreciate that they didn't do a waved start for the open corral. Despite the fact that the corral was so big, we moved quickly and I was on the road about 15 minutes after start time - not bad!

The first few miles flew right by. This course is so much fun. There's people everywhere (spectators and runners alike), there's LA landmarks at almost every mile, and there's just so much to look at! This marathon also encourages folks to go for Guinness World Records during the race so lots of people dress up. I saw a guy running in a bear mascot suit (see the vlog below for a clip!), folks running while dribbling basketballs, I even saw a runner at the finish line dressed in a full suit (INCLUDING dress shoes - OUCH). No matter where you look on the course there is entertainment

Mile 1 - 10:49

Mile 2 - 10:31

Mile 3 - 10:21

Mile 4 - 10:34

Mile 5 - 11:06

Mile 6 - 11:04

Mile 7 - 10:41

Despite the rolling hills of this course (which honestly I was not very prepared for), I was moving along at a pretty good clip and hitting my paces. I was staying on top of my fueling plan and it seemed like everything was clicking! The only thing I was worried about was that I needed to find a restroom but every single porta-potty stop had a huge line. I figured by maybe mile 7 the lines would have maybe died down but that was not the case at all. There were lines at every bathroom stop for the entire race which I have not seen at a marathon before. This year's field of runners was the biggest LA has seen and they did not prepare to have enough resources for all 27,000 of us.

Between mile 7 & 8 we had the best view of the Hollywood sign!

{source}

Was contemplating stopping for a quick matinee of Hamilton 😋

Mile 8 - 10:33

Mile 9 - 10:33

Mile 10 - 10:25

Mile 11 -  10:43

Mile 12 - 10:45

Mile 13 - 11:31

Mile 14 - 11:11

The stretch between the 10k point and the half marathon point wad my absolute favorite part of the course. There was a beautiful stretch where we ran downhill and could see the Hollywood sign in perfect view in the distance, we ran down the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and I even got to see Brett, Stevie, and Yvonne right before mile 12! I was definitely still feeling fairly energetic through this stretch despite the hills putting my legs to the test. I also found a 5:00 pace group around this time that was doing run/walk intervals so I ran with them for a couple of miles before needing to fall back a bit.

Trucking down Rodeo Drive

Mile 15- 10:58

Mile 16 - 15:04*

Mile 17 - 12:43

Mile 18 - 12:08

Mile 19 - 12:17

Mile 20 - 12:10

Mile 21 - 12:30

*bathroom break around mile 15.5 killed my time on this mile!

After mile 15 the hard work really set in. I finally made a bathroom stop at mile 15 and had to wait in line for a few minutes. This *might* have been where my sub-5 went to die, but I also know that if I waited any longer it would have messed with my run. You never know with the marathon what factors are going to impact your race! I decided to make a stop so I didn't have to think about my bladder for another 11 miles. After the break, I ran through Beverley Hills blasting Weezer (because you have to), enjoyed the Cheer mile at 19, and really had to focus on staying hydrated from mile 20 on as the temperatures started to rise. At this point I was chanting "sub-5, sub-5, sub-5" to myself to drive out all the negative thoughts that were trying to creep into my mind and ruin my race.

Brett, Stevie, and Yvonne tried to see me a second time but I'm pretty sure I passed their second spot before they were able to get there. 😭 This is an adorable picture of them holding the signs for me, though!

Mile 22 - 11:43

Mile 23 - 11:44

Mile 24 - 13:07

Mile 25 - 10:59

Mile 26 - 11:14

Mile 27 - 5:38.7

The last miles were TOUGH. It took a lot of mental fighting to keep myself moving forward. I didn't make a single stop after hitting the bathroom at 15 which I was proud of myself for, but I did need to take walking breaks here and there. (It's my goal to build my mental toughness and physical fitness so I will keep running all the way through 26.2!) Mile 24 was SO CHALLENGING because it was ALL UP HILL. 💀 At that point I knew that a sub-5 was pretty unlikely (runner math is never fun haha) but I knew another new PR was in reach. After I crested the hill it was all downhill to the finish line. I put my head down and gave it everything I had for the rest of the race. I was able to see Brett and Yvonne right at the finish line and I puuuuuuuuuuuuuussssheed through to the end...

AND I SET ANOTHER NEW PR AT 5:03:01!!!!

I am so stinkin' proud of being able to set two marathon PRs within a month of each other. I worked so hard to become faster during the last training cycle and the hard work paid off. I am still working my way to sub-5 but I know that it will come with more time and training. I can't wait to see that 4 at the beginning of my finish time some day soon! On to Seattle! 😉

To be honest the finish area is kind of a mess. Santa Monica being a beach town, there really isn't a ton of room for people to get around (ya know, because of the ocean being right there and all). After you cross the finish line, you have to walk about a quarter of a mile to get out of the finish area. I understand why races have to do this but I'm never a fan of it. All I want to do is sit down! Once I finally got out of the finish area I found a patch of grass to sit on for a while as I waited for Brett to navigate the crowds to come fin me. Because so much of the finish is roped off to spectators and there is just a billion people everywhere it took him a while to actually find where I was. It's just SO MANY PEOPLE and SO MANY BARRICADES at the finish that you really should pre-determine a meeting point at the finish with your loved ones. It's not easy at all to link up close to the finish, so make sure you make a plan. Either way, I was so happy when Brett finally found me and we were able to celebrate another new PR!

After the race, we stopped for lunch at the Water Grill right near the finish line. One of the biggest highlights was getting to meet up with our pals Carly and Kirby! We hadn't seen them in a few years and I was so good to see them. I had a delicious plate of fish & chips (highly recommend!) while we caught up and I recovered from the race. Before we left we had to snag some photos with them before making a plan to not wait to long before seeing each other again!

I wanted to finish up this post recognizing how fortunate I was to actually run this race. LA was one of the last marathons to stay on schedule (the week following LA it seems like everything got cancelled), and now amidst so many race cancellations and postponements I feel very lucky that I was able to run all of my scheduled races this winter. It just makes my experience at the 35th Annual LA Marathon that much more special. 

Check out the vlog of the weekend below for more LA Marathon action!