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

[DopeyBadger]

Well ... I think I hit the limit of what my legs can tolerate. The question is whether I fight through it and do a treadmill class tonight (I still have classpass credits), try some "easy on the legs" cross training, or just take it as a rest day.
This week has not been ideal.

Listen to your body. If the legs have literally nothing left, then don't push through with more running. Determine whether the feeling is of cumulative fatigue (like a low level hum) or exhaustion (where everything hurts like post-race). Decide if this is too much training volume, too fast of training, or possibly other stressors of life making the running more difficult. Rest or some easy cross training might be helpful.

 

[FFigawi]

Well ... I think I hit the limit of what my legs can tolerate. The question is whether I fight through it and do a treadmill class tonight (I still have classpass credits), try some "easy on the legs" cross training, or just take it as a rest day.
This week has not been ideal.

As my wife always says, rest day is the best day

 

[run.minnie.miles]

No need to force something- I think take a rest and try again tomorrow.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

It took me way too long to learn that an unplanned rest day now and then will not hurt your fitness and preparation as much as you may fear it will.

 

[SarahDisney]

Thanks for all the insight and advice.
Last night during barre3 class I felt like my legs had nothing left in them. Totally done. I decided I would wait to see how I felt in the morning and make a decision on running then. I woke up and my legs felt like they do in the days following an "A" goal half, so I didn't run, but as the day went on, I started to feel better, so I was trying to figure out if I could run. I had brought barre clothes, treadmill clothes (which are the barre clothes with running socks instead of grip socks) and running shoes to work. I was undecided and figured I'd just try to book something last minute if I decided to not rest, but then at 5:15ish I started to make really good progress on a work thing, and its now a little after 7 and I'm on my way home (but ... I now have console logs displaying in my custom reporter, so ... major progress).
So it was a work-enforced rest day. Which is fine. Friday and Saturday are my usual rest days, so most likely next run is Sunday.
Because I'm doing a percentage-based plan, this week's running limits me to a 60ish minute run on Sunday. Which is not what I wanted, but I'll make it work. I am registered for a barre3 class that day, so that'll add some intensity to the day.
Next step is to figure out what happened to my legs and how to make sure it doesn't happen again.

 

[DopeyBadger]

Because I'm doing a percentage-based plan, this week's running limits me to a 60ish minute run on Sunday. Which is not what I wanted, but I'll make it work. I am registered for a barre3 class that day, so that'll add some intensity to the day.

You've got 2.5 hours down, so you could probably go up to 90 min on the long run and you'd still be fine. It's more a matter of trying to stick to the lower percentage more often. But sometimes life happens. So if you want to go higher than 60 min, you could.

 

[TCB in FLA]

Catching up on your report. Congratulations on your first marathon and your NY acceptance! Here’s hoping I’m there as well in November!

Great review of your treadmill class. I’m an Orange Theory member but didn’t really start to love it until I was able to find the correct paces on the treadmill (and now I’m a diehard). So def try again, esp if the weather gets bad.

 

[SarahDisney]

You've got 2.5 hours down, so you could probably go up to 90 min on the long run and you'd still be fine. It's more a matter of trying to stick to the lower percentage more often. But sometimes life happens. So if you want to go higher than 60 min, you could.

Thanks, Coach. I've been trying to stick to the 30%, but you're right, if I do 35% one week it won't be a problem. Just so long as I don't make it a habit.
Although I do really need to sit down and think about this whole situation. I want to be able to do longer runs as 30% of my mileage, but I also don't want another week like this one where when Thursday comes, I don't feel like I can run.
I'm wondering if the answer is cutting down on barre3 classes and doing a maximum of one class in weeks when I want to do 10 miles or longer as the long run, just to give my legs a break. I'm thinking about dropping my monthly membership (just because I won't be working near there anymore, so it'll be less convenient), and if I decide not to go twice a week, then the membership no longer pays for itself and it makes the decision to drop it easier.
And I should possibly not be building IKEA furniture during long run weeks. All that sitting on the floor hurt my legs like crazy.

Catching up on your report. Congratulations on your first marathon and your NY acceptance! Here’s hoping I’m there as well in November!

Thank you! I hope I see you in NYC in November!

Great review of your treadmill class. I’m an Orange Theory member but didn’t really start to love it until I was able to find the correct paces on the treadmill (and now I’m a diehard). So def try again, esp if the weather gets bad.

Thanks for the advice. I think I am willing to try it again, I just have to find the right timing and some good thoughts about treadmill paces.
Also ... I feel like everyone who tries OTF becomes a die hard. I haven't heard anyone say they don't like it or are lukewarm about it. Are they drugging the water or something?

 

[garneska]

Also ... I feel like everyone who tries OTF becomes a die hard. I haven't heard anyone say they don't like it or are lukewarm about it. Are they drugging the water or something?

That is funny and i feel the same. i have not tried OTF but it seems like everyone loves it. I might convince myself to try it for a month after my race as i might need a little running break.

 

[TheHamm]

Also ... I feel like everyone who tries OTF becomes a die hard. I haven't heard anyone say they don't like it or are lukewarm about it. Are they drugging the water or something?

Not a fan. It felt like a competition and I do not need more of that in life, I am already at best mediocre at anything. But maybe it is because I brought my own water?

 

[TCB in FLA]

Thanks, Coach. I've been trying to stick to the 30%, but you're right, if I do 35% one week it won't be a problem. Just so long as I don't make it a habit.
Although I do really need to sit down and think about this whole situation. I want to be able to do longer runs as 30% of my mileage, but I also don't want another week like this one where when Thursday comes, I don't feel like I can run.
I'm wondering if the answer is cutting down on barre3 classes and doing a maximum of one class in weeks when I want to do 10 miles or longer as the long run, just to give my legs a break. I'm thinking about dropping my monthly membership (just because I won't be working near there anymore, so it'll be less convenient), and if I decide not to go twice a week, then the membership no longer pays for itself and it makes the decision to drop it easier.
And I should possibly not be building IKEA furniture during long run weeks. All that sitting on the floor hurt my legs like crazy.



Thank you! I hope I see you in NYC in November!



Thanks for the advice. I think I am willing to try it again, I just have to find the right timing and some good thoughts about treadmill paces.
Also ... I feel like everyone who tries OTF becomes a die hard. I haven't heard anyone say they don't like it or are lukewarm about it. Are they drugging the water or something?

h
Too funny! Maybe it’s the orange lights?
I think they have very good coaches who simply have to follow a template rather than creating their own class, so that’s a big plus. I used to teach group fitness classes and saw tons of sub-par instructors who just didn’t get the training they needed or have the energy to motivate a class. I also worked out for a couple of years at a crossfit gym that would certify anyone who looked the part and loved crossfit. I’ve had maybe 20 OTF coaches at my home studio and when traveling, and I would rate all but maybe 2 as excellent. That explains my enthusiasm for OTF.

 

[SarahDisney]

Not a fan. It felt like a competition and I do not need more of that in life, I am already at best mediocre at anything. But maybe it is because I brought my own water?

Definitely because you brought your own water.
But I get what you're saying about OTF. That's one of the things that has scared me from trying - I don't need everyone else to see my stats up on a board.

h
Too funny! Maybe it’s the orange lights?
I think they have very good coaches who simply have to follow a template rather than creating their own class, so that’s a big plus. I used to teach group fitness classes and saw tons of sub-par instructors who just didn’t get the training they needed or have the energy to motivate a class. I also worked out for a couple of years at a crossfit gym that would certify anyone who looked the part and loved crossfit. I’ve had maybe 20 OTF coaches at my home studio and when traveling, and I would rate all but maybe 2 as excellent. That explains my enthusiasm for OTF.

That makes sense. Good instructor training makes a huge difference. I have that with my barre3 classes - all of the instructors are different and do different things, but you can tell that they've all had good training and know how to handle a class with all levels of people, and that's one of the people that keep me coming back.

 

[SarahDisney]

In Which Sarah Tries to Do Funny Ride Pictures: WDWMW Day 1 in Pictures​

(I haven't loaded the pictures from my camera yet, so this is mostly photopass, with a few phone pictures thrown in)

Expo:

Magic Kingdom:

 

[SarahDisney]

Race, Take 1: WDWMW 5K in Pictures
​

 

[SarahDisney]

Which Park?: WDWMW Day 2 in Pictures ​

Hollywood Studios: (and BC/YC)

Magic Kingdom:

Epcot:

 

[SarahDisney]

Week In Review: February 4th - February 10th​

Monday:
Run - 3.53 miles, 44:11 minutes, 12:31 min/mi pace. Started off at EC, but I found myself taking walk breaks, so I just embraced it and switched over to Easy/LR intervals. Otherwise unexceptional run.
barre3 - Dino again. Something had happened at work and I couldn't let go of it, so I was distracted and this class wasn't great.

Tuesday:
Run - 5.60 miles, 1:13:14 houts, 13:05 min/mi. Ran north for as long as I could and then turned around where the path ended*. This was planned as the first of three hour+ runs this week.
*Well, the path goes further, but there's a turn involved and it requires going under an underpass in Harlem, so I wasn't having it.

Wednesday:
Run - 3.38 miles, 38:28 miles, 11:23 min/mi pace. This was originally planned as a 90 minute run (mid-week? What??), but we finished building our IKEA table at midnight the night before, so I slept in instead. So far my quest to run 5 hours mid-week was not going great.
barre3 - Legs felt dead. Completely and entirely dead. Kept having to stop and take breaks. Grr.

Thursday:
Woke up and my legs felt like I had recently run an "A" goal half, so running was not happening. I was signed up for a barre3 class after work, but I cancelled that because I didn't think my legs would like it. Was considering another Mile High Run Club class, or maybe trying something new, but I ended up not signing up for anything, which is good because I ended up at work late solving a problem.

Friday:
Rest Day! I was so tired that I passed out on the couch after dinner.

Saturday:
Rest day again. Discovered that while I can do my grocery shopping 24/7, it's pretty hard to find a cup of coffee around here after 9pm. This neighborhood is weird.

Sunday:
Run - 4.51 miles, 55:45 minutes, 12:22 min/mi pace ... aka run to barre3. Garmin was misbehaving so I tracked this on the phone and the distance went nutty (this distance is from mapping afterwards). Also, taking my phone out of my belt was annoying, so I didn't pause at stoplights. So all the stats on this are probably wrong.
barre3 - With Vicky! I haven't taken her in a bit and I forgot how much I love her ... even though her class is tough. Also, I forgot that I wanted to have coffee for class, so I let myself sleep in. Next time I take a Vicky morning class I gotta remember to have coffee either before or during class. There's a lot of energy required.
Run - 1.85 miles, 24:31 minutes, 13:15 min/mi pace ... aka run from barre3 to (near) Times Square, where I grabbed a subway home. See same comment about Garmin as above. Felt like I could have gone farther, but I didn't want to.
Total time for today was 1:20:16, which is 34% of my weekly duration. Still in the okay range, but not what I'm going for. It's fine, though.

Upcoming:
This is gonna be a tough week on a life level, but thankfully it's a down week for running. Planning on taking tomorrow off from running, may do some cross training (I'm signed up for barre3), then I'll figure out what to do from there.
Also ... I'm hoping to post at least a few more days worth of trip pictures this week. I'm back in Queens for the weekend, so it'll have to happen during the week, but I'm gonna try.

 

[SarahDisney]

I took my first yoga class today. Next time ... namaste at home and sleep instead.
Actually, it wasn't terrible. But I was bad with remembering the sequences. I'm not rushing to go back, but I'm open to the idea of it if my friends are going.

 

[michigandergirl]

I took my first yoga class today. Next time ... namaste at home and sleep instead.
Actually, it wasn't terrible. But I was bad with remembering the sequences. I'm not rushing to go back, but I'm open to the idea of it if my friends are going.

Stick with it and it'll get easier - the benefits are numerous!! Namaste.

 

[ZellyB]

I love all your pictures. You got some great shots with characters during the 5K. I didn't see the Oswald picture set up at the Expo, but it's great!

 

[SarahDisney]

I love all your pictures. You got some great shots with characters during the 5K. I didn't see the Oswald picture set up at the Expo, but it's great!

Thank you!
I think I remember the Oswald thing being near the shirt exchange area, but I might be wrong. I'm just glad I saw it, especially because I didnt get a picture with him at the race.