“If I go, there’s just no telling how far I’ll go” - *DisneyDreamer’s marathon training journal

So I decided to do a little switch up of my schedule this week due to a heat wave forecasted for this weekend and also having Father’s Day plans with my Dad on Sunday morning. I was scheduled for 4 miles tomorrow and 3.6 on Sunday but decided to move them up a day. So I did my 4 miles this afternoon and will try to do Sunday’s miles tomorrow. That means I’ll end up doing 5 days in a row but I’d rather do that than try to push it too hard on Sunday when it’s supposed to be hottest.

Next week’s schedule is also probably going to have to lead to some adjustment because I’m going to Disney on Monday! My sisters and I are heading to California and it will be only my 2nd time at Disneyland! Running on vacation is hard for me, especially at Disney with so much walking and park time, and then not being familiar with the areas. So we’ll see what I can do when I get back.
 
Week 2 Recap:
6/11-6/17

Miles scheduled: 16.6
Miles completed: 16.6 (this time not including off day walking miles)

Monday 6/11: Off Day
Nothing much to note about today. I got in a 1.25 mile walk to keep the June mile-a-day streak going.

Tuesday 6/12: 3 miles at Easy/LR
The weather for my run today was pretty sticky and humid. I went out in the afternoon around 2:15 and fortunately it was mostly overcast, but with the rising humidity (it got soo humid later that evening) and peeks of sun, it was a warm one. Splits were 12:20, 12:30, 12:58.

Wednesday 6/13: 3 miles at Easy/LR
Today’s run was just okay. The dew point was A LOT lower than yesterday, which was very nice, but it was sunny and since it’s mid-June, that’s sometimes harder than humidity. The intervals today still felt fine but something about the run as a whole just wasn’t great. One of those days I guess. Splits were 12:16, 12:37, 12:54.

Thursday 6/14: 3 miles at Easy/LR
I actually got out for my run in the morning today! And it was glorious to get it done early (and by early, I mean like 10:00)! The temperatures and weather are definitely not as comfortable this week as last week, and I know it’s unfortunately just the beginning of the summer weather. We’ve got a major heat wave coming this weekend and I’m not sure how that’s going to affect the weekend runs. It will be my first test to see if I can get myself up and going even earlier. Otherwise I may need to resort to the treadmill at my parents’ house. I hate the treadmill overall, and it’s even harder when trying to hit paces or distances since it’s not at all accurate.
Run went fine - nothing too noteworthy. Splits today were 12:27, 12:20, 12:43.

Friday 6/15: 4 miles at Easy/LR (originally scheduled as Off Day)
As I mentioned in my last post, I decided to shift my Saturday and Sunday runs up a day due to a forecasted heat wave and Father’s Day plans with my Dad on Sunday morning. Even if it meant running 5 days in a row, I preferred that over trying to squeeze in a run on Sunday.
The 4 miles today were not the greatest. About 0.5 mile in or so, my right ankle started hurting a bit. I don’t know if it was my shoes, or my stride at the time, but it was bothering me. I tried to push through, and fortunately by mile 2 or so, it for the most part subsided. The 3rd and 4th miles felt better.
Splits: 12:44, 13:20, 12:58, 12:47

Saturday 6/16: 2 miles at Easy, 0.6 mile at 10K Tempo, 1 mile at Easy
Oh my goodness, was it humid this morning! With the forecast of hot weather for today, I set an alarm to get up early and actually did! I started my run around 6:45 (I know, still probably not that early for some!) and was almost immediately sweating. It turns out that 6:45 am was not the coolest part of the day. A breeze kicked in a bit later in the morning and it felt more comfortable. The whole day actually didn't get quite as hot and humid as soon as they originally said. Oh well, it was still nice to get the run in right away in the morning.
Anyway, I started off with the 2 easy miles, which were definitely slow due to the humidity. I felt like I was in a swamp. Splits for those 2 miles were 13:28 and 13:52. I then did a short 0.6 mile at 10K Tempo, which was 2:30 running at 9:45/mile pace and 0:30 walking at 16:00/mile pace. When I started that segment, I was so surprised at how it felt. I felt like I was going so fast, and it really only took a little more than 2 interval cycles to go that distance. The 0.6 mile split was 6:14, which comes out to about an average of 10:21/mile.
I then wrapped it up with one more easy mile with a split of 12:50.
Overall, despite the humidity, today's run was pretty decent and I liked the little snippet of 10K Tempo. I cannot wait to see how things come together as more of these tempo runs happen throughout the next 16 weeks!

Sunday 6/17: will be modified Off Day


Week 3 schedule:
Monday: Off Day
Tuesday: 3 miles at Easy/LR
Wednesday: 3 miles at Easy/LR
Thursday: 3 miles at Easy/LR
Friday: Off Day
Saturday: 4 miles at Easy/LR
Sunday: 1 mile at Easy, 4 miles at Marathon Tempo, 1 mile at Easy

So as I also previously mentioned, the runs Tuesday-Thursday will likely be difficult to fit in due to being in Disneyland. But I will adjust as necessary and will hopefully still run Saturday and Sunday as scheduled.

Have another great week, everyone! If you’re interested, I will post some pictures and trip details when I return!
 


Hey all, I'm back!! :goodvibes

Week 3 Recap:
6/18-6/24

Miles scheduled: 19
Miles completed: 10 (but not included is several miles of walking around Disneyland)

Monday 6/18-Friday 6/22
No running happened during these days because I was in Disneyland with my sisters! However, due to intense park touring (about 4-5 hours Monday evening when we arrived, and 3 consecutive 12-hour days Tuesday-Thursday) I definitely think I got in my share of activity! We had an absolutely amazing time. We easily were able to do everything we wanted, and the weather could not have been more perfect. Every morning was overcast until around 10:00 or so, which made it comfortably chilly, and then it cleared and got sunny for the rest of the day. Then once the sun went down, it cooled off again. Quite the difference from what one would get in Disney World in mid-June! We already can't wait to go back, and hope to do so in a couple years. I will try to post some pictures once I get the chance!

Saturday 6/23: 4 miles at Easy/LR
So, on Saturday morning, I was unsure whether this run was going to happen. Due to a significant flight delay in our return from California on Friday, we did not get home until after midnight. I was tired from the trip, but the weather was so beautiful on Saturday that I knew I'd regret it if I skipped the run. And boy am I glad I didn't make excuses and got out there! It was sunny the whole run, so it got a bit warm, but overall nothing too bad considering it was around 2:00 pm. I thought my legs would be tired from walking around at Disneyland, but the miles felt great. Although the paces were faster than they should have been for the easy runs, I was very consistent, with splits of 12:06, 12:04, 12:05, 12:06.

Sunday 6/24: 1 mile warm-up at Easy, 4 miles at Marathon tempo, 1 mile cool-down at Easy
First marathon tempo run today! My marathon tempo intervals are 1:45 run at 10:30/mile pace, and 0:30 walk at 16:00/mile. That averages out to about 11:22/mile. The miles absolutely just flew by today and I think I hit the running pace pretty consistently. The weather was also beautiful when I went out, which wasn't until after 5:00 pm due to being at the Brewer game in the afternoon. My splits were 12:14 (warm-up), 11:19, 11:10, 11:02, 11:06, 13:16 (cool-down).

So despite not getting in my runs during the week, I'd say it was a pretty good week! The 10 miles over the weekend were great and the weather was amazing! I wish it could stay like this all summer because it was heavenly compared to the 90+ degrees, 70 degree dew points we had right before we left for California. Sadly, it's not going to since it's supposed to be hot again by the end of this week. :(

Anyway, here's the week 4 schedule:
Monday: Off Day
Tuesday: 3 miles at Easy/LR
Wednesday: 3 miles at Easy/LR
Thursday: 2 miles at Easy, 0.9 mile at 10K Tempo, 1 mile at Easy
Friday: Off Day
Saturday: 3 miles at Easy/LR
Sunday: 3 miles at Easy/LR

We're closing in on less than 100 days until the Marathon. Crazy!
 
Week 4 Recap:
6/25-7/1

Miles scheduled: 15.9
Miles completed: 15.9


Monday 6/25: Off Day
Today was an off day, but since it's still June, I kept my streak going and went for a 2 mile walk. :)

Tuesday 6/26: 3 miles at Easy/LR

The goal of today's run: beat the rain! My Dad, sister and I went to see Incredibles 2 in the afternoon (we all loved it!) and I mistakenly did not do my run before going to the movie. I knew it was supposed to rain in the afternoon, but thought I could squeeze in my run after the movie before the rain came. When we got home, I looked at the radar and it looked like the rain was getting close, so I was pretty much set on the fact that I was probably going to miss the run. But close to an hour passed, and the rain still hadn't started, and it seemed to be moving really slowly. So since I knew I would be mad at myself if I continued to sit without the rain starting, I decided to head out and at least get a mile for the day in, and I'd stay close to home so I could turn around at anytime. Well, it turns out that the rain held up long enough and I got in all 3 miles. You could tell rain was coming though since it was a very humid run! Mile splits: 11:53, 12:49, 12:46.

Wednesday 6/27: 3 miles at Easy/LR

Mark down today as one of the bad days. I just wasn't feeling it today and even 3 miles just felt like they dragged on. I couldn't wait to be done with this one today. But I didn't quit, so it's still a win. Splits: 12:18, 13:09, 13:19.

Thursday 6/28: 2 miles at Easy, 0.9 miles at 10K Tempo, 1 mile at Easy

Today was a much better run than yesterday, despite the humidity and getting targeted by a bird. There is a section on the trail that I sometimes run on where I've noticed a lot of birds flying around lately, and a couple times I've felt like they've come after my head. But I thought maybe I was just being paranoid. Well, today I definitely was not imagining it. On the way out, I passed the area without issue, but then I had to turn back and on the way past the second time, I definitely felt the bird hit me in the head. :scared: Needless to say it got my heart rate going and I kept going hoping it wouldn't continue after me. Fortunately the rest of run was uneventful. It also turns out that this situation is becoming more common in the area this year, as a couple days later my Dad pointed out a newspaper article to me about reports of blackbird attacks on the rise. Needless to say, I think I'm avoiding that section of the trail for a while.
Anyway, as I said, the run today felt much better than yesterday. The 0.9 mile at 10K pace was challenging but doable.
2 easy miles: 12:41, 12:53
0.9 miles in 9:43
1 cool down mile at 12:50

Friday 6/29: Off Day

Thank goodness today was an off day because when I said it was going to get hot by the weekend, boy did it get HOT! It was already feels like temperature of close to 90 at 8:00 am. The afternoon and the rest of the weekend was downright miserable. Since it was still June, I snuck in a quick 1 mile walk around 9 am for the streak, but nothing more.

Saturday 6/30: 3 miles at Easy/LR
Excessive heat warning today, so today's miles were not happening outside. I know some heat training is helpful since you never know what it will be like on race day, but considering Friday night's low temperature did not go below 80 and dew points were in the mid-70s all weekend, I knew I needed to take it to the treadmill at my parents' house. I don't really like the treadmill since the speeds and distance tracking do not seem at all close to accurate, but I ran/walked until I got it to read 3 miles. Which took 50 minutes, when I felt like I was running faster or at least the same as outside. So who knows.

Sunday 7/1: 3 miles at Easy/LR
Another hot day, so another treadmill run today. Same story as yesterday.
So despite some challenges this week, it was definitely a win! I got in all my miles despite almost skipping at least one of the runs. :cool1:

Week 5 schedule:
Monday: Off Day
Tuesday: 4 miles at Easy/LR
Wednesday: 4 miles at Easy/LR (4 miles on the 4th of July!)
Thursday: 2 miles at Easy, 0.6 mile at 10K Tempo, 1 mile at Easy
Friday: Off Day
Saturday: 5 miles at Easy/LR
Sunday: 6 miles at Easy/LR

Have a great holiday week everyone! Is anyone else experiencing this insane heat wave and what are your plans for the 4th? We fortunately are getting a break from the terrible heat today, but it's still humid and will be even more so again by the holiday. The weekend is fortunately looking a bit better though. No question that we're officially in summer now!
 
And now, how about a few Disneyland pictures?

Sunglasses I got from spinning the prize wheel at Southwest's birthday party at the Vegas airport!
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Meeting up with my younger sister who lives in Orlando
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#1 character meet goal! We were first in line for their first appearance of the day. :)
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More to come later!
 
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Week 5 Recap:
7/2-7/8

Miles scheduled: 22.6
Miles completed:
21.9

Monday 7/2: Off Day
Nothing much to note today since it was an off day.

Tuesday 7/3: 4 miles at Easy/LR

Today I had plans to go see Jurassic World with my Dad. So I actually got myself out the door for the run around 8 am. It was humid but overall not too bad and the run felt decent. It always feels good to get a run done and have the rest of the day to not think about it!

Wednesday 7/4: 4 miles at Easy/LR

Happy Independence Day! I am so over heat and humidity and it's only early July! I don't know how people in the south deal with this all the time. I got in my miles early before the 4th of July festivities and even at 7:30ish am, it was so humid, and we were forecast to have a hot day. Despite the humid conditions, the run was still okay.

Thursday 7/5: 2 miles at Easy, 0.6 miles at 10K Tempo, 1 mile at Easy

Today I had a momentary lapse in judgment. I didn't get out for my run in the morning, and by early afternoon, it was cloudy so I thought how bad could the heat and humidity be and decided to go out. The answer to that question: it was pretty bad. I was scheduled for 2 miles warm-up before the 10K tempo segment, but almost immediately after getting out, the sun started peeking back out, and it was super hot and steamy. I was struggling big time. So I cut the warm-up down to a little over a mile, and then did the 10K tempo, and then the mile cooldown. Even 3 miles were absolutely brutal at that time of day, but at least I didn't skip it completely.

Friday 7/6: Off Day

Today was an off day, but a cold front passed through the night before so the humidity broke and it was an absolutely gorgeous day! So even though June is over and therefore the mile-a-day streak, I went out for a nice walk in the afternoon. It was so beautiful and I wish it could be like this all summer!

Saturday 7/7: 5 miles at Easy/LR
Today was another beautiful day. I was scheduled for 5 easy miles, and headed out a little before 7 am. That's extremely early for me! Nothing much to note about this run - it was good.

Sunday 7/8: 6 miles at Easy/LR
On Sunday I really didn't want to get up early so I didn't head out for my run until around 10:30 am. It was fortunately another nice day, so at that time the sun was still warm, but at least it wasn't as humid as it has been. I headed out on a nearly trail, and you could tell it was a nice day, because the trail was hopping with bikers, runners, and walkers. The 6 miles went smoothly and overall was a good run. 11 miles for the weekend: done! :cool1:

Week 6 schedule:
Monday: Off Day
Tuesday: 4 miles at Easy/LR
Wednesday: 4 miles at Easy/LR
Thursday: 2 miles at Easy, 1.2 mile at 10K Tempo, 1 mile at Easy
Friday: Off Day
Saturday: 5 miles at Easy/LR
Sunday: 5 miles at Easy/LR
 
I’ll post my full weekly recap hopefully tomorrow, but I wanted to pop in here and share my daily victory. After going to an engagement party for friends last night, I could not bring myself to get up early and therefore did not fit my run in this morning. It has been crazy humid here again the past few days, so that combined with temps in the 80s and the sun being out left me thinking I lost my chance since I was not going out in the middle of the day (I’m terrible at motivation later in the day). But 5:30ish rolled around and I was still thinking about not having gone and feeling upset at myself. So guess what? I put on my running clothes and headed out to the trail, thinking that maybe I wouldn’t get in my full 5 for the day, but I’d at least try to do a couple. I cut my intervals back to :30/:30 to keep it easier, and just went. And I just kept going and got in all 5 miles!

I feel like the bigger part of this training so far has been my mental game over the actual running, and I’ve come so far! In the past, if the weather was like it was today, I would have phoned it in and come up with every excuse possible not to go. But I got out there and got it done, and now I’m so happy and have no regrets. It’s the best feeling!

6 weeks down, 12 weeks to go until the Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon!
 
Good for you for getting out there. I feel the same way on the weekends. I feel like I really need to go in the morning or else I lose my motivation later in the day, but them feel bad that I never ran. It's always good to end the weekend on a high note.
 
Week 6 Recap:
7/9-7/15

Miles scheduled: 22.2
Miles completed:
22.2

Monday 7/9: Off Day
Today was an off day so nothing to really report.

Tuesday 7/10: 4 miles at Easy/LR

Pretty uneventful run today - easy miles on the trail. So not really much to say about it. I continue to feel good with my paces, even if they are faster than what is outlined in the plan.
Splits: 12:42, 13:08, 12:45, 12:38

Wednesday 7/11: 4 miles at Easy/LR

This week's runs haven't been happening as early as they did the previous week, but I'm still getting out there and getting it done! Today I went out around 11:00 am and took a route up to a local park and back is right along the lake. I always love getting views on Lake Michigan on my runs - it's so pretty this time of year. :)
Splits: 12:39, 12:01, 12:11, 12:29

Thursday 7/12: 2 miles at Easy, 1.2 miles at 10K Tempo, 1 mile at Easy

Today's tempo run was so much better than last week. I completed the 2 mile warm-up and then went into the 1.2 miles at 10K pace. It felt decently hard but manageable.
2 warm-up miles: 12:42, 14:02 (not sure what happened on that second mile, if it was a GPS glitch or just that much slower)
1.2 miles at 10:23 average pace
1 mile cool-down in 12:45

Friday 7/13: Off Day
Another off day today. I enjoyed the morning spending some time with my Mom in an area of downtown Milwaukee called the Third Ward. We visited a small coffee shop and got an iced coffee float, and then went into some shops. Afterwards we went out to lunch. It was a nice morning, even though the humidity started to set back in, which was going to be sticking around for my weekend runs.

Saturday 7/14: 5 miles at Easy/LR
Today I didn't get out for my run until around 11:00 am. It was a warm and humid day, but I figured I needed to start going out in warmer conditions because I can't control what ends up happening on race day. I headed out and although it was definitely sticky and sweaty, it was manageable. My easy run paces continue to be faster than prescribed, even though I am trying so hard to slow it down.
Splits: 12:21, 12:20, 12:37, 12:17, 12:06

In the evening on Saturday, I headed to an engagement party for friends. It was a fun time which included a very delicious dinner, but is the reason a morning run didn't happen on Sunday. :laughing:

Sunday 7/15: 5 miles at Easy/LR
As I already reported in my previous post, I almost missed this run but got out the door and got it done despite the heat and humidity and utilized shorter intervals. The thing that I'm most proud of with this run is that I could have quit early a few times but didn't. I did the first 3 miles on the nearby trail (the same one where I encountered the birds) and even though I didn't go as far down and avoided that specific section of the trail, I was on edge the whole time and decided to head back to the streets. I passed by my block and because I was so hot and sweaty, I could have turned right there and stopped. But I kept going and kept winding through the streets until I hit that 5th mile. I was so happy when it was done and am glad I stuck it out.
Splits: 12:48, 13:39, 13:16, 13:15, 12:39

Week 7 schedule:
Monday: Off Day
Tuesday: 4 miles at Easy/LR
Wednesday: 4 miles at Easy/LR
Thursday: 2 miles at Easy, 1.5 mile at 10K Tempo, 1 mile at Easy
Friday: Off Day
Saturday: 4 miles at Easy/LR
Sunday: 4 miles at Easy/LR

This week and next once again may end up leading to some adjustments, as I am heading out to Seattle for a few days with my parents. Our flight isn't until 2:30 on Saturday, so I should hopefully still be able to get that run in early before we leave, but Sunday through next week Thursday will be tough to fit in. We'll see how it goes!

Have a great week everyone!
 
Guess what, I’m alive! Between being out of town on a trip for a few days in late July and preparation for some job interviews recently, I had lost all motivation to update this journal. Training was derailed a little bit, but I’m still working and trying hard to keep up with it. We’ve gotten to the point of the summer where I’m so sick of hot, sweaty, humid runs and am just dreaming of fall. I did have another moral victory today though when I neglected to do my run early but sucked it up and went out later when it was 80 degrees with a dew point around 70. Thank goodness for the cloud cover.

So anyway, I’ve decided I’m no longer going to do weekly updates with every day outlined, but I will post some highlights when I can. Things are going to get even more crazy in a couple weeks when school starts back up. I still don’t have a full time job ( :sad1: ) but at least have a 3-month subbing job lined up for the time being. Fingers crossed that something else works out because I’m feeling very discouraged.

Less than 8 weeks to go until race day! So hard to believe.

Oh, and on another note, I registered the other day for a 10K on September 22nd (the Milwaukee Brewers 10K). It will be my 4th year doing this event and I’m looking forward to it. :goodvibes
 
That feeling of completing a 17-mile weekend, 6 yesterday and 11 today. :cool1: :banana: Both runs done before 9:00 am, which is the most amazing feeling!! Wrapped up the week with just about 31 miles total, during a very warm and humid stretch of weather. Things are moving along!
 
That feeling of completing a 17-mile weekend, 6 yesterday and 11 today. :cool1: :banana: Both runs done before 9:00 am, which is the most amazing feeling!! Wrapped up the week with just about 31 miles total, during a very warm and humid stretch of weather. Things are moving along!


Good job on the runs this past week! Also, I love the Disneyland pics! I hope to one day make the trip to that coast.
 
Well, things did not go as planned with this journal, but I’m back to say that tomorrow is the big day. 12 hours until go time. The nerves are overwhelming, but I’m going to go out there and give it my all, and not worry about pace or time.

Weather is looking a bit iffy with a chance of showers, but it’s better than blazing sun and humidity. If it’s cloudy like it likely will be, the temperature should be comfortable, and there is forecasted to be a NE wind on a course than travels south. So that should be nice.

I’ll be back with an update after the race. Tomorrow at this time I will hopefully be a marathon finisher!
 

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