Life After Marathons: A Running/barre3/Coffee/Life Journal

Hi Sarah, am I too late to vote? It sounds like you'll end up doing the Rangerstown race, which sounds fun! I wanted to also put in a plug for the Poland Springs run. I live in NYC and have done that one before, and it's fun. Even though I run in Central Park all the time, there was a different feeling that day for that race. For someone like me who has never done (and never will do!) the NYC marathon, it's pretty exciting to run in Central Park and cross the same finish line where the marathon will take place. There's a really exciting vibe. I know you are planning to do the NYC marathon in the future, so it may not be the same, but for me it was pretty cool. Either way, you have three great options! (And on a separate note, I admire how you plan and do a great job of sticking to your training!)

It's not too late until the race sells out :)
Thanks for the input! I've done a bunch of Central Park races this year, and I was kinda thinking that the Poland Springs run would basically just be a repeat of all of those. But one of the reasons why I did want to consider it is that I thought that with it being so close to the marathon it would be a totally different feeling ... so it's definitely good to hear that the race has such an exciting vibe. I'm definitely not writing it off, because I think it could be a really great experience, but I think I'm going to see if I can hold off on the decision for a bit and see how I feel after my next race (which is in two weeks, not in Central Park for once :)).
Thanks for stopping by and for your kind words and helpful input!

Whlle not a millennial, I also sometimes think "I really wish I had taken that particular photo with a race medal." I enjoy seeing the different fun medal photo ideas runners come up with. I saw somebody do one of those distance jersey photos where the guy was standing far enough behind his Giant Race photo so that it looked like he was wearing his medal as a jersey.

I once created a website where you can log in with your Strava account and it would show you pictures taken near the end of your last activity (the implication being that you would log in right after your race and it would pull the race data from your Strava account) to serve as inspiration for your medal pictures. Despite having created that ... I'm still terrible at race medal pictures. The best one I ever came up with was actually an idea I stole from someone else who had done something similar at DL after the Dumbo Double Dare challenge (I want to say it was @Ariel484, but I might be wrong), which was for the WDW 10K, when my costume was dumbo-inspired, I took this a few days later:
upload_2018-9-16_22-31-6.png

I think this a very healthy attitude to have. You need to enjoy running on your terms and for your reasons. That also means enjoying it at the distances and time duration that you want to. Like you said, you can always train for a longer distance if you find a race that you want to run. And there may be plenty of shorter races that fit your needs.

I think we're happier as runners when we run on our own terms and for our own reasons.

This is very true.
Also very hard around the DIS with all the enablers who try to #peerpressure you into running all the races. Oh DIS people...
But yeah, I think I'll definitely be able to find shorter races that I enjoy, and if I occasionally want to do something a little longer, I can do that too. It's all about finding what works for me ... the only way to survive running is to run the way that you want to run.
 
A few Monday thoughts...

1- Its taper time! It's kinda like Hammer Time, but with 100% less Hammer Pants.
2- There is something up with my knee. Sigh. Trying to decide if I should still go to barre3 today or if I should cancel. I'll decide in a few hours.
3- I am currently twords the beginning of what will likely be a very nasty commute (although it's been ok so far... but that could change quickly). I probably should have taken the Express bus, but I just wasnt in the mood. Hopefully it won't be too bad. I'm just annoyed because I wanted to be at work at a certain time and that's not gonna happen. Sigh.
 
Man, I can't get behind on your journal or I have pages to read! LOL. I don't really watch many professional sports (mainly college :duck:), so I cannot contribute to that conversation. I agree with everyone about Rangertown, just reading your recap of that race sounded so excited and like you really loved it!

Side note on the Garmin charging thing, since you know how bad I am about charging my watch. It does charge really fast, but I've found if you don't let it get all the way to 100% it won't stay charged long. I am a watch charging failure.

Hope your commute wasn't too bad!
 
Happy Monday! I hope the commute works out okay for you and that nothing serious is up with your knee! And now this is stuck in my head...

giphy.gif
 


Also very hard around the DIS with all the enablers who try to #peerpressure you into running all the races. Oh DIS people...
I think a poll would suggest DISenablers would show that it is more important to be happy. I think you should run the races that make you happy (Rangertown) and stop when it does not.
 
I thought of you this weekend when I was having coffee. MY BIL just bought a nespresso machine and I was very skeptical of it. Well it was amazing. It came with a milk foamer and although not quite starbucks, it was very very good. I told Peter we need one.
 
Man, I can't get behind on your journal or I have pages to read! LOL. I don't really watch many professional sports (mainly college :duck:), so I cannot contribute to that conversation. I agree with everyone about Rangertown, just reading your recap of that race sounded so excited and like you really loved it!

Things move fast around here ... mostly because we talk about things that are much more exciting than college sports :).

Side note on the Garmin charging thing, since you know how bad I am about charging my watch. It does charge really fast, but I've found if you don't let it get all the way to 100% it won't stay charged long. I am a watch charging failure.

This is good to know. I usually charge it to 100%, but sometimes unplug it a little early if I'm running late, so I have to try to remember to leave myself time to charge it all the way. Thanks.

Hope your commute wasn't too bad!

Thanks! Turns out it was totally fine ... apparently someone was lying about extensive delays. Sigh.

Happy Monday! I hope the commute works out okay for you and that nothing serious is up with your knee! And now this is stuck in my head...

giphy.gif

Thanks. Commute ended up fine. Not so sure about my knee.
And ... you're welcome.
(HAMMER TIME!)

I think a poll would suggest DISenablers would show that it is more important to be happy. I think you should run the races that make you happy (Rangertown) and stop when it does not.

I dunno, some of the DISenablers around here seem really into peer pressuring people into things they don't want to do ... but you're probably right.

I thought of you this weekend when I was having coffee. MY BIL just bought a nespresso machine and I was very skeptical of it. Well it was amazing. It came with a milk foamer and although not quite starbucks, it was very very good. I told Peter we need one.

Nice. We had one of those at my old job, but since it was someone's personal machine and not the office coffeemaker, I didn't really use it much. But that thing makes an excellent cup of coffee. You should get one.
Thanks for thinking of me!
Side note ... are you guys able to go back home yet? I thought I saw something about people being able to go back home, but I wasn't sure if everyone who was evacuated has been able to go back home.
 


Knee Update:
The pain is in the front, right below the kneecap - like where the patellar tendon connects to the tibial tuberosity. (Not sure if this is related, but I have an enlarged tibial tuberosity because I had Osgood-Schlatter Disease as a kid (up until about 6-7 years ago, which is way longer than it usually lasts, but that's besides the point))
tibialtub.png
(this is actually an illustration for Osgood-Schlatter)

At first it was just there but never got worse. Then I went to the bathroom. While in the bathroom, I extended my leg a bit to see if that made a difference - it didn't. Then I got back to my "desk", sat down and tried to bend my knee (because that's how I sit) and yikes that hurt. That was about 10 minutes ago ... it's a little better now (I'm back to my usual way of sitting), but ... that was scary.

I know it's not Osgood Schlatter because I'm too old for that. I'm wondering if maybe it's some sort of inflammation of the patellar tendon. Will try RICE tonight to see if that helps.

I don't want to cancel barre3, but I'm also not convinced that it's a great idea to go. I have until about 2:30ish (2 hours from now) to make the decision. Thoughts?
 
Yes we were able to get in yesterday morning. No gas service till who knows when, but at least we could get clothes and things.
 
Knee Update:
The pain is in the front, right below the kneecap - like where the patellar tendon connects to the tibial tuberosity. (Not sure if this is related, but I have an enlarged tibial tuberosity because I had Osgood-Schlatter Disease as a kid (up until about 6-7 years ago, which is way longer than it usually lasts, but that's besides the point))
tibialtub.png
(this is actually an illustration for Osgood-Schlatter)

At first it was just there but never got worse. Then I went to the bathroom. While in the bathroom, I extended my leg a bit to see if that made a difference - it didn't. Then I got back to my "desk", sat down and tried to bend my knee (because that's how I sit) and yikes that hurt. That was about 10 minutes ago ... it's a little better now (I'm back to my usual way of sitting), but ... that was scary.

I know it's not Osgood Schlatter because I'm too old for that. I'm wondering if maybe it's some sort of inflammation of the patellar tendon. Will try RICE tonight to see if that helps.

I don't want to cancel barre3, but I'm also not convinced that it's a great idea to go. I have until about 2:30ish (2 hours from now) to make the decision. Thoughts?

Can you find a way to ice at your 'desk' for a bit? I'm not above reusing my lunch container for work fridge ice. Even for a few moments?


This is good to know. I usually charge it to 100%, but sometimes unplug it a little early if I'm running late, so I have to try to remember to leave myself time to charge it all the way. Thanks.

I'm more of a large format battery expert, but the non-linear charge is a good thing (for safety and lifetime). If you only get to 95% you should not notice a difference in non-gps mode battery life unless it is on its way out.

I dunno, some of the DISenablers around here seem really into peer pressuring people into things they don't want to do ... but you're probably right.
I think most DISenablers tell you what they think you want to hear unless it seems like it would be a poor long-term choice. No one would encourage you to run the Rangertown 5K if it meant you had to cheer for the Islanders forever. It may be a great race that you love, but not worth it in the long run. Really, people are trying to be good.
 
Can you find a way to ice at your 'desk' for a bit? I'm not above reusing my lunch container for work fridge ice. Even for a few moments?

We have an ice machine, so I've had a cup of ice on and off my knee for the past 20-30 minutes. It's just awkward to hold the cup of ice and work at the same time. At home it's easier because I have a good ice pack and I can just lie down with the ice pack on my knee.

I'm more of a large format battery expert, but the non-linear charge is a good thing (for safety and lifetime). If you only get to 95% you should not notice a difference in non-gps mode battery life unless it is on its way out.

I know nothing about batteries, so ... interesting.

No one would encourage you to run the Rangertown 5K if it meant you had to cheer for the Islanders forever.

I think in that situation my brother would go against the DISenablers and tell me to run the race... (he's a huge Islanders fan)
 
Things move fast around here ... mostly because we talk about things that are much more exciting than college sports :).

This is good to know. I usually charge it to 100%, but sometimes unplug it a little early if I'm running late, so I have to try to remember to leave myself time to charge it all the way. Thanks.

Thanks! Turns out it was totally fine ... apparently someone was lying about extensive delays. Sigh.

LOL, when you grow up twenty minutes from Auburn, professional sports kind of take a backseat. Plus Alabama has no professional sports so my options are the Braves and Falcons. :rolleyes:

I think unplugging it a little early is fine, I unplugged mine at 40% because I needed to go run, and it did not make it through...and glad to hear about the commute but BOO on the person who commented about extensive delays!
 
LOL, when you grow up twenty minutes from Auburn, professional sports kind of take a backseat. Plus Alabama has no professional sports so my options are the Braves and Falcons. :rolleyes:

I don't know Alabama geography at all, but in 2020 (I think), North Alabama is getting a minor league baseball team called the Rocket City Trash Pandas. I believe the team will be located in Madison. I have no idea if that's near you because I know nothing about Alabama.
 
I cancelled barre3. I'm not thrilled about it, but a) this way I get to rest my knee a bit, and b) now I can go shopping for some of the life essentials I need. Like clothing and shoes.
 
I don't know Alabama geography at all, but in 2020 (I think), North Alabama is getting a minor league baseball team called the Rocket City Trash Pandas. I believe the team will be located in Madison. I have no idea if that's near you because I know nothing about Alabama.

LOL! Only reason I know anything about NYC is because I have been there, and there's not much of anything to persuade people to visit Alabama. I'm 3.5 hours from Madison but I LOVE that team name, too funny. I guess the Atlanta Braves are still closer for me (about 1.5 hours to Suntrust Park). I actually did go to one of their games this year though, so yay professional sports!

Just in case you're curious (which you probably aren't) but I tend to be wordy and overshare. :confused3
map.jpg
 
LOL! Only reason I know anything about NYC is because I have been there, and there's not much of anything to persuade people to visit Alabama. I'm 3.5 hours from Madison but I LOVE that team name, too funny. I guess the Atlanta Braves are still closer for me (about 1.5 hours to Suntrust Park). I actually did go to one of their games this year though, so yay professional sports!

Just in case you're curious (which you probably aren't) but I tend to be wordy and overshare. :confused3
map.jpg

So you're like right on the border with Georgia and not super far from Atlanta (also not super far from Birmingham it looks like). Cool. Thanks for the map!
(And I too love the name "Trash Pandas" ... they had a fan vote to choose between a few potential names, and that's the one I was rooting for)
 
The best one I ever came up with was actually an idea I stole from someone else who had done something similar at DL after the Dumbo Double Dare challenge (I want to say it was @Ariel484, but I might be wrong), which was for the WDW 10K, when my costume was dumbo-inspired, I took this a few days later:
View attachment 351356
We’ll shoot, that’s a really cute idea for a medal picture, and sadly I don’t think I can take credit for that one. *sob*

I used those little statues/figures/whatever they are called that are near the castle. But I love your picture!!
 
We’ll shoot, that’s a really cute idea for a medal picture, and sadly I don’t think I can take credit for that one. *sob*

I used those little statues/figures/whatever they are called that are near the castle. But I love your picture!!

I probably just assumed it was you because you always have awesome medal pictures.

But now I'm kinda curious who I stole the "put the medal on the Dumbo" idea from...
 
As I suspected ... no medal engraving for Sarah. Unless they get the corrals off super fast (not likely) and I finish waaaaay faster than anticipated (also not likely). I want to be home by noonish, 1pm the latest, and the timeline is just not possible.
I can send a proxy, though ... which would be great if I either had friends or was the kind of person who was willing to ask other people for favors.
Sigh.
 
Hope your knee gets better. Mine sometimes acts really weird, like it doesn't want me to run, but it always feels better after I run. When that happens, I monitor closely to make sure it's not a problem during, immediately after, and the next day.

(HAMMER TIME!)
Now I think you should run the marathon in, wait for it, MC Hammer pants. And a gold tech shirt. Because reasons.

I think in that situation my brother would go against the DISenablers and tell me to run the race... (he's a huge Islanders fan)
Somehow, with no logical reason whatsoever (like going to school there) my little brother became a huge fan of my college sports arch rival and the Dallas Cowboys. I'm a 49ers fan, so I don't like the Cowboys even now.

As far as DISenablers go, it can get really tricky. While I can honestly say that this community helped me come to peace with my decision to run the marathon, that's also because so many shared their story and helped me accept my fears about running a marathon.

Either way, I do think it's very important to run and/or race on your own terms. Each runner has to know why they have chosen to do this.

I used those little statues/figures/whatever they are called that are near the castle. But I love your picture!!
I thought that Dumbo picture was cool too. Here's a list of a few cool photo ops I've seen outside the standard ones (and I love some standard ones), some I've adopted myself, and perhaps one I came up with on my own in no particular order.

1. Marathon weekend medals in front of their respective characters at the MK around the Partners statue. Hopefully I remember to do this come January.

2. Medal photos in front of the floral Mickey at the Disneyland or MK park entrance. I also did a Star Wars variant at this year's Dark Side where I have the photos hanging on the rope outside one of the entrances to Star Wars Galaxy's Edge.

3. Exhausted runner lying on the ground with their medal(s) photo in front of the castle or Spaceship Earth. I did a version this year of me lying on the bench in front of the Epcot floral entrance at Flower and Garden with all my medals hanging on my arm.

4. Medal all by itself in front of park icons. I've taken this to a possibly insane level with the Kessel Run medals as I try to make it look like the Falcon is flying in the air.

5. Placing all race medals from a given year (or time period) around the compass on the ground of the Esplanade between Disneyland and Disney California Adventure. This does work better if you have a lot of medal for the year or multiple medals over the year. I've never done this myself.

6. Okay, so this one is kind of generic, but I have fun doing it. Race medal photos with characters/park icons either actually in the race theme or tied to it.

Star Wars medal photos with Star Wars characters who have a tie to the medal. BB-8 and the 2017 Light Side 10K medal(only currently available at Disney's Hollywood Studios). Kylo Ren and any medal with either him or Han Solo and/or the Millennium Falcon. Just make sure he sees the Solo and/or Falcon medal. Chewbacca except the runner is holding up the Light Side half medal, which is patterned after the medal from A New Hope so it's like Chewie finally gets his medal. Rey with the Millennium Falcon (only currently available at Disneyland). I also did this after Avengers 2017 and can see Princess and Tinker Bell (if Disneyland races return) being other great choices.

As a side note, this can lead to insanely epic meet and greets, including characters where you least expect it.
 

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