Every Wish That We Put Into Motion.... (comments welcome!)

[Herding_Cats]

Well it's Thursday now, and the only running I've done in a week is 3 nights of refereeing, in which I'm purposely NOT making quick changes of direction (where I would need to be running, plant, stop, turn, and abruptly go the other direction) and NOT trying to run fast. And I'm getting nervous. This training cycle started off well enough, and between being sick in November, and then this calf issue this month, I've missed most of my long runs, and now I'm missing all of my runs.

I did get a massage yesterday on my leg. I thought I had booked 30min, but she had put me down for an hour, and she spent 50min on my calf, and the last 10min on my hamstring, which is getting cranky from me compensating for the calf. "It's very angry" was her comment about my calf. Now, I was able to work all of my games this week without feeling like I re-strained things (3 games on Monday, 2 on Tuesday, 1 on Wednesday.) At this point, it just feels tight....kind of like after a really hard lifting workout, except I know it's not going to be better in a day or 2.

So my conundrum is:
-Do I try run on the treadmill, keeping it really easy, 0 paced runs, capping things at 45min or so until my leg is "better."(Or do I use the spin bike for some semblance of cardio training? I feel like that tends to go into my calves too though, so I'm not sure on that one.)

-OR do I continue to rest the leg. I don't referee again until Monday. The hitch here being that getting on the tread could re-irritate my calf and set me back yet again. Refereeing hasn't made things worse this week.


This is what my plan was supposed to look like, this week through MW. With refereeing in pink, and spectating in red. And it's all gone to pieces. I'm absolutely NOT running 11 miles on Saturday.

 

[DopeyBadger]

At this point, you're four weeks until the first race of Dopey. Like it or not, you're not going to make a ton of gains physically in this short period of time. You're best bet is to be healthy to give yourself the maximum chance. So I think the mindset for the remainder of the training cycle should be in the interest of trying to be healthy on race day. Whatever form that takes.

 

[Herding_Cats]

At this point, you're four weeks until the first race of Dopey. Like it or not, you're not going to make a ton of gains physically in this short period of time. You're best bet is to be healthy to give yourself the maximum chance. So I think the mindset for the remainder of the training cycle should be in the interest of trying to be healthy on race day. Whatever form that takes.

Right. That’s what I was pretty sure the line of thinking would be. I’m just nervous of LOSING fitness at this point, and trying to maintain whatever it is that I have.

 

[DopeyBadger]

Right. That’s what I was pretty sure the line of thinking would be. I’m just nervous of LOSING fitness at this point, and trying to maintain whatever it is that I have.

Undoubtedly as time passes you will lose more and be more unprepared for the race. But a healthy undertrained you is likely to be more prepared than a injured and slightly better trained you.

 

[Herding_Cats]

Weekly Wrap-up:

0 miles. 7 games refereed. For the next 2 weeks, before winter break starts for the schools, I work 3 games on the Mondays, and 2 games on the Wednesdays, and that's it. I've re-worked my training schedule for the next 3 weeks (it's kind of terrifying that there are ONLY 3 weeks left) leading up to leaving for WDW, and I've taken out all of the "doubles" where I would run in the morning and then ref in the evening. I also scaled back the mileage a little, and took out anything faster than easy pace until the 22nd. And even then, if I'm not feeling better by that time, I'll just push those back to easy pace as well.

On the plus side, I'm no longer limping when I stand from sitting, not limping when I get out of bed, or when I get out of the car after a basketball game. There's no swelling (I don't think there ever really was though?), and no visible bruising. These are things I've been waiting on to show up it were a muscle tear. Stairs don't make it clench up, and unless I'm trying to walk very briskly, or stand on my toes while holding something heavy (such as a toddler) I wouldn't know my calf has been a problem at all.

On the negative side: there are a few spots on my calf that feel bruised. They are tender to the touch, and I don't even have to poke at them hard. If I squat, when it get to the point that my hamstring would start to press down on my calf, it's very uncomfortable and makes me either stand right back up, or step out with that leg so it's not compressing on itself.




Thinking about 2025 race weekends, and I'm considering Princess weekend. It's a shorter trip, the point chart is still OK for a DVC room, and it would be less training load commitment. I love the challenge that a marathon brings, and the feeling of accomplishment I have when I finish is amazing. But I also think that realistically I may need a break from [training for] them. Especially if SIL and I decide to attempt that 50k next August.

 

[Herding_Cats]

Weekly wrap-up. I think I'll be healthy for MW. And that's a big win right now.

Monday: refereed 2 games. Immediately tweaked my calf again at the tip-off of the first game. It wasn't nearly as bad as the previous week(s?) though, and I was able to get through both games without too much limping.

Tuesday: My leg was feeling a little better, so I decided I would attempt a very slow run/walk on the treadmill. I made it through 2 minutes. Since toeing off is the issue, I swapped the treadmill for the spin bike and did 45min on that (trying to keep my HR near 150, which is high zone-3 for me) instead. The seat on our bike is sooooo uncomfortable, and it's not just getting use to it; it's just not a good seat.

Wednesday: refereed 2 more games, this time with another female official (who works at the restaurant I make pies at in the summer, and who used to teach 2nd grade and I subbed for) which was pretty fun. Both of us usually work with our husbands (and a 3rd person for hs games) and there are only about 6 female officials in the 5 county area I live in, so having 2 on the same game is a rarity. The fans were less than ideal, and I administered my first intentional foul call on a player.

Thursday: 30min on the treadmill. This felt OK. Not great/normal, but a definite step back toward not injured. I could have gone longer, but my calf was progressively getting tighter, and I decided it would be better to stop sooner than later.

Friday: 60min on the treadmill. Watched a youtube stream from the SS Toy Story 10mi, but they had a lot of connection issues and the video quality was pretty poor. I can tell it's been a few weeks since I did a more sustained run, but this run was feeling even closer to normal than Thursday. I also test-ran my marathon skirt as it's a size larger than I normally buy, and I wasn't sure if I would need to take the waist in or if I could simply pin it to my shorts. I also discovered some unfortunate positioning of the cut-edge of the tulle underskirt. I will definitely need to sew an underskirt/slip layer or there will be some dangerous chafing occuring.

Saturday: I had intended to do a longer run (90-120min) but then we kept remembering things that we needed to do; DS1 had an all-day robotics competition (which he and his teammate won), DS3 had a birthday party he needed shuttle to/from, DS2 also had a birthday party, and DH was refereeing an end-of-season tournament for the whole morning/early afternoon.

 

[NYC_MW]

Weekly wrap-up. I think I'll be healthy for MW. And that's a big win right now.

that's great news!

 

[The Expert]

I love the challenge that a marathon brings, and the feeling of accomplishment I have when I finish is amazing. But I also think that realistically I may need a break from [training for] them.

I hear this, and it's exactly why I skipped the full this year. When I signed up, I had NO idea we'd be moving or what the year would bring, but I'm so grateful I didn't have to worry about marathon training through all this!

Thinking about 2025 race weekends, and I'm considering Princess weekend. It's a shorter trip, the point chart is still OK for a DVC room, and it would be less training load commitment.

Have you done Princess? Because the vibe is totally different. I specifically chose to stick with MW because of the overall vibe, even though I'm not doing all the races. Having done Princess 3 (4?) times, it's not my favorite, tbh. Not trying to talk you out of it (well, maybe a little), but something to consider.

 

[Herding_Cats]

I hear this, and it's exactly why I skipped the full this year. When I signed up, I had NO idea we'd be moving or what the year would bring, but I'm so grateful I didn't have to worry about marathon training through all this!

You have DEFINITELY had a big year. It was good timing for you to already plan to forego the marathon with everything you've had going on!

Have you done Princess? Because the vibe is totally different. I specifically chose to stick with MW because of the overall vibe, even though I'm not doing all the races. Having done Princess 3 (4?) times, it's not my favorite, tbh. Not trying to talk you out of it (well, maybe a little), but something to consider.

I haven't. I've only done MW, and that's part of the "attraction" of considering Princess. W&D doesn't work with our schedule with our kids' XC schedule (for a few more years), and SS is just at a weird time for us with spring break being around the same time and DH coaching a spring sport. Princess is really the only other weekend that makes sense with everything else we have going on. And it would be nice to have some different medals for in-person race weekends. I probably won't be able to resist if there's a Merida medal...

 

[SheHulk]

FWIW I really liked Princess Weekend and the vibe. It reminded me of my high school sports teams, lots of female athletes.

 

[nancipants]

FWIW I really liked Princess Weekend and the vibe. It reminded me of my high school sports teams, lots of female athletes.

I agree. It felt really chill.

 

[The Expert]

FWIW I really liked Princess Weekend and the vibe. It reminded me of my high school sports teams, lots of female athletes.

I don't mean to knock Princess at all, and I appreciate they are very female centric. But the races aren't as much of the focus at the resorts and parks as they seem to be for MW.

 

[GollyGadget]

I might as well chime in with my unsolicited opinion… I’ve ran Princess twice and never got the “mean girl” vibe that you may read about online. My biggest detractor is that I’m just not into Princesses so the theming and characters aren’t my fav.

it could be fun for you to mix it up and try something new!

 

[RuntheMouse]

I don't mean to knock Princess at all, and I appreciate they are very female centric. But the races aren't as much of the focus at the resorts and parks as they seem to be for MW.

I might as well chime in with my unsolicited opinion… I’ve ran Princess twice and never got the “mean girl” vibe that you may read about online. My biggest detractor is that I’m just not into Princesses so the theming and characters aren’t my fav.

it could be fun for you to mix it up and try something new!

I ran Princess in 2022 and liked it more than I thought after reading things online. Had a surprisingly good time, as did DH! I personally just like the vibe for MW overall more. I think you’ll have a great time at PW.

 

[Herding_Cats]

Weekly wrap-up (already?!): Kinda sorta getting stuff done.

Sunday: 90min easy. I think I costume tested? I honestly cannot remember. I know it happened last week, but don't remember which day it was. Anyhow, this went about how I was expecting for still returning from the calf nonsense.

Monday: refereed 3 basketball games (3hrs 20min. worth) DIDN'T re-aggravate my calf, and could actually take normal sized steps instead of my super-tiny, let's-not-toe-off, don't-get-injured-again sized steps. We did end up in the slightly smaller of the 2 gyms (one of the other referees got there first and beat us to it) so my HR was a few bpm lower than I would have liked.

Tuesday: off. DS2 had a basketball game, and we are in full clean-up mode as we prep for MIL to come stay while we are gone for MW.

Wednesday: off again. Half day of school, grocery shopping, last-minute Christmas shopping, and general holiday craziness.

Thursday: 60min easy. Starting to feel more normal and less "I've missed too many weeks of training" which is nice. Do I feel like I just crushed my training plan and am super prepared for Dopey? No. Do I think I can get through it? Yes.

Friday: 120min easy. I got out a new pair of shoes that I was planning on wearing for the marathon (because they match my skirt soooo well.) Except when I put them on they felt short, and different from my other 1080s. I figured maybe it was just because they were new, so I started my run and got through just over 3min before I stopped and changed shoes. They have to be mislabeled because they are half a thumb-width shorter than the same shoes in a different color. I'll end up using them as everyday shoes, but I'm annoyed about it. Also made 4 kinds of cookies, peanut clusters, and coconut bonbons. I made single batches of everything because I did NOT have time to do doubles, and because I would eat way too many cookies if I had that many in the house.

Saturday: family Christmas at BIL/SIL's house, so I was cooking all morning, and then we were at their house for the entire afternoon/evening.

I feel like it's almost time to start packing (that weather forecast is still making me sad) and I'm pulling out all of my lists from last year to consult for any last-minute purchases I might need. I'm debating the wisdom of a 3 hour run this week, or sticking to the 60-90min runs I've fallen back on.

Tangentially, how many shoes is too many to pack? I thought I had it down to 5, but I'm not sure if that'll be enough now.

 

[DopeyBadger]

I feel like it's almost time to start packing (that weather forecast is still making me sad) and I'm pulling out all of my lists from last year to consult for any last-minute purchases I might need. I'm debating the wisdom of a 3 hour run this week, or sticking to the 60-90min runs I've fallen back on.

What are the three longest duration runs you've done in the last 15 weeks? I mean there's a near 0% chance I'd think a 3hr run when you're less than two weeks out is a good idea, but do you even have the other recent training runs to support that idea?

 

[Herding_Cats]

What are the three longest duration runs you've done in the last 15 weeks? I mean there's a near 0% chance I'd think a 3hr run when you're less than two weeks out is a good idea, but do you even have the other recent training runs to support that idea?

If we exclude the refereeing the longest it looks like I've done are 10mi runs (2:15-2:30) on 9/18, 10/23, and 11/25. (If we include refereeing, I've done 3+hr nights on 11/14, 11/16, 11/22, and 12/4.)

I was assuming it wouldn't be a great idea, but the whole last 2 months of training have been a debacle, and my brain is struggling with reconciling the lack of true long runs with what I'm signed up for. And it helps if someone else can agree that it's a dumb idea.

 

[DopeyBadger]

If we exclude the refereeing the longest it looks like I've done are 10mi runs (2:15-2:30) on 9/18, 10/23, and 11/25. (If we include refereeing, I've done 3+hr nights on 11/14, 11/16, 11/22, and 12/4.)

I was assuming it wouldn't be a great idea, but the whole last 2 months of training have been a debacle, and my brain is struggling with reconciling the lack of true long runs with what I'm signed up for. And it helps if someone else can agree that it's a dumb idea.

If the race were a little further out, then I could be convinced that you'd have the other runs to support the idea of doing 160-180 min. But I just think it isn't worth it from a physical training standpoint because you'll probably lose more in the needed recovery than you will the gains from doing it. If you decimate the mitochondria like a standard long run tends to do, it takes about 14 days to fully regenerate (that's the standard life cycle of mitochondria). So you'd possibly enter the Dopey Challenge Weekend without all the gains you had already made in an attempt to squeeze one more long run in. I wouldn't call it dumb, but I don't think it's the right way to go about it from a physical standpoint.

 

[Herding_Cats]

Anyone else freaking out a little bit? Just me? Probably not just me.

We decided to start packing on Tuesday. DH is done. I started, and then realized I needed to wash most of my pants, so I stopped. Have I touched my bags since? Nope. I can already tell I'm going to end up massively over-packed because UGH this weather forecast!? I didn't plan my costumes around long-sleeves and tights, but it is what it is. I can't find my packing list. Half of my house still needs to be cleaned before MIL gets here. DS3's birthday is today, so we have to "fit" that in. We need to re-check the weather to decide if we should leave for Detroit on Saturday night instead of Sunday morning. I need to book the airport parking (which might be cheaper if we DID leave on Saturday.) And there's about 30 other things I need to get done. WHEEEEE!

 

[The Expert]

Anyone else freaking out a little bit? Just me? Probably not just me.

We decided to start packing on Tuesday. DH is done. I started, and then realized I needed to wash most of my pants, so I stopped. Have I touched my bags since? Nope. I can already tell I'm going to end up massively over-packed because UGH this weather forecast!? I didn't plan my costumes around long-sleeves and tights, but it is what it is. I can't find my packing list. Half of my house still needs to be cleaned before MIL gets here. DS3's birthday is today, so we have to "fit" that in. We need to re-check the weather to decide if we should leave for Detroit on Saturday night instead of Sunday morning. I need to book the airport parking (which might be cheaper if we DID leave on Saturday.) And there's about 30 other things I need to get done. WHEEEEE!

Take a deep breath. Celebrate your daughter's birthday! Then decide what's the one most pressing thing to do. Lather, rinse, repeat one at a time. Done!

Seriously though, I feel you. I kinda freaked out yesterday when I saw the one week to go post on rD social. But one week from now we'll be wearing our 5K medals and all of this will be behind us!