My Journey to 50 miles (2nd attempt)... (comments welcome)

[disneygpa]

Ok. So it's been a little over a week and I'm trying to set goals for this year.

Here's what I think I would like to do. I'd really like to see if I can run individual races at or near what coach has for my paces. Seems doable right?!

Here's my dilemma... I think I have DW convinced to try the half for next year. She's not nor ever has been a runner. I want to help her each her goal by training with her, starting with the C25K plan for her. How do I train with her and still reach my individual goals?

Any advice? @DopeyBadger does this seem like something a plan could be developed around?

 

[DopeyBadger]

Almost anything can be scheduled around. I've done a few "couples" plans before trying to mesh two different runners together. It's usually complicated, but doable. Just depends on the two schedules and fitnesses of the two runners.

 

[StacyStrong]

Sounds like you had an awesome trip. Congrats!

 

[disneygpa]

Almost anything can be scheduled around. I've done a few "couples" plans before trying to mesh two different runners together. It's usually complicated, but doable. Just depends on the two schedules and fitnesses of the two runners.

Cool! Sounds like we can make something work. I think I'll take a couple weeks of easy runs and running with her for the C25K and see how it goes. Obviously I want to maintain my fitness level so I'll have to do a little more work than her. But, I'm willing to do her training with her and then maybe do a few longer runs on the weekends.

 

[disneygpa]

Took two full weeks off. That was weird.

Today was stretching and a very easy 2 miles. We did the week 1 day 1 of C25K. DW did great!! I'm encouraging her to start a journal. Whether on here or on paper.

I told her it is kinda nice to go back and look at things. Especially when you start feeling down about progress or the training starts wearing on you.

We are also planning on doing some weight training along the way. Maybe only 2 days a week. We'll see how that goes too.

I start working on my masters in business next month. I'm only taking one class at a time so hopefully I'm not putting too much on my plate.

We also have travelling plans already this year. Sometime late June or early July I am flying to FL with the oldest grandson, picking up the youngest grandson and road tripping to St. Louis to see my family. October will be two weeks in Aulani and then back to FL in January for marathon weekend. Pretty sure we are going to start looking at housing when we are down there next year. Might be time to buy ourselves a retirement place. If I can make it work, I'd like to hit Reno this year for the spring revival car show. It's a mini version of hot august nights. If you've never been to hot august nights and you are a car nut, I highly recommend going. There are literally thousands of cars!!

Still have to figure out the whole issue of maintaining my level of running while also helping DW reach her goals. If I'm being totally honest, helping her reach her goals would be priority #1 and if I have to sacrifice a year of my goals to help her get to hers then so be it. I think I can manage to do both. Just have to figure out how.

 

[disneygpa]

Tuesday

Did week 1 day 2 with DW of C25K last night and then ran a couple of extra miles on my own. Legs felt weird. Not painful, not weak, just kinda weird. I'm blaming it on the doughnut I ate just before running.

Monday we did some resistance training and boy did I feel it during the run. Clearly there have been some muscle groups I've been neglecting with the running. Got two rounds of stretching in which helped. But dang I'm still feeling some of the workout from Monday.



Tonight is more stretching and another round of resistance training. Then maybe some podcasts and work on our puzzle. (we picked up a few (5) new ones from the parks)

DW got a new job yesterday. She starts this coming Monday and it may interfere with us getting to come to marathon weekend next year.
Not sure if she'll be able to get the time off after taking two weeks off in October for Aulani.... bummer... but maybe we could work something out for princess. Guess we'll see.

I've been looking at local races and found one I may shoot for in June. It's another half and is a slight downhill for most of the course. I figure if I'm ever going to attempt to run my race pace it might be a good one to try!!

 

[DopeyBadger]

Always fun to get back in the groove of running. It's almost like our bodies have forgotten what it feels like or knows how to even do it.

but maybe we could work something out for princess

It's looking like Steph's family is planning a Sunday to Sunday Disney vacation for her dad's 70th that weekend. I convinced them to go Saturday to Saturday which would enable me to run the Princess HM on that first Sunday. So I'd say the odds are fairly high at this moment that I'll be at the Princess HM.

 

[disneygpa]

Thursday was week 1 day 3 of C25K with DW. 2 miles roughly 15 min/mile.

I was going to run a couple more miles but was sorely underdressed for the conditions. When I went into the house it seemed like it was fairly warmish and comfortable. After stretching and getting dressed I went outside and it was a lot windier than I thought and it seemed as though the temps had dipped, oh and to add insult it started to sprinkle half way through the run. Thought I was just going to tough it out. But after the 2 ish miles of C25K I still wasn't warm and decided to just go back in.

Plan is to do 5 or 6 EA miles on Saturday and then start week 2 with DW on Sunday. I'll definitely be dressed better for those days!!

 

[disneygpa]

Sunday:

Week 2 Day 1 C25K with DW. This went well. DW did a good job running 90 sec and walking 2 min. When she is running she is running avg of 11 ish min/mile. It fluctuates but I'm guessing that's about avg. She says this is a comfortable pace and that's what I'm encouraging her to run. She says she feels like she can go further than the 90 sec. But, I'm telling her to stick to the plan. In the long run I think it will be better to build up the base rather than skip to week 3.

After C25K I ran an additional 3 miles. 2 miles that ended up somewhere between my EA and EB pace and then the 3rd mile I just wanted to run hard so I set out at a faster pace and just enjoyed pushing myself for a mile. Not sure if that was a great approach. But it felt good to kind of cut loose! I'll reel in my enthusiasm for awhile now. It felt great to run hard.

For now my plan is to continue doing C25K with DW and adding a couple extra/few miles to it. Will throw in some strides and progressions over this period. After we complete C25K we'll evaluate where DW is and get a training plan that can get her to a decent 10k time that we can submit for Princess 2021!!

 

[lovingeire]

I just wanted to say thank you for your awesome journal! I finished reading it after you mentioned it on this years thread. It was neat to see a DopeyBader plan run from beginning to end after seeing so much about them on the boards over the years. I definitely have a lot to learn though as I didn't understand half of how the runs work, but thought it was awesome you were so well prepared with lower mileage. A very impressive and inspiring journey for someone hoping to check off their first marathon/Dopey next year!

 

[disneygpa]

I just wanted to say thank you for your awesome journal! I finished reading it after you mentioned it on this years thread. It was neat to see a DopeyBader plan run from beginning to end after seeing so much about them on the boards over the years. I definitely have a lot to learn though as I didn't understand half of how the runs work, but thought it was awesome you were so well prepared with lower mileage. A very impressive and inspiring journey for someone hoping to check off their first marathon/Dopey next year!

Thanks! To be honest I had my doubts about completing Dopey with having 13 miles as my longest training run. But Billy reassured me that I could do it and explained the "why" behind only maxing out at 13.

Before I did this training I always figured people that completed marathons were exceptional athletes. But after all the training I'm now convinced that just about anyone can do a marathon if they have the right training plan and enough hard headedness to get through it!

Good luck on your journey!!!

 

[disneygpa]

Been awhile since I've done an update so here goes.

DW and I just finished week 3 of C25K. She's doing great! Next week we make the big leap to running for 5 min. She's nervous but she's confident she can do it.

She has decided she wants to try to get up early to run so that our evenings are free after she gets off work. We'll try it for a week and see how it goes.

I'm struggling with adding miles at this point. According to elevate, running at her pace and distance I'm actually trending down in fitness. If we start running in the morning, I believe I'm going to try getting up 30 min before her and putting in a couple miles at EA and EB paces prior to doing her C25K training, which is currently averaging about 15 min/mile. That includes the 5 min walk at the beginning and end. When she is running her pace is around my warm up pace, so it's nice and easy.

Six more weeks in the C25K plan. Then I think I'll be needing a couples plan.

Started my class for my MBA. That is also cutting into my available time. Currently I'm putting in about 1.5 hours/night reading and studying. May have to bump that up to 2 hours, as I'm feeling a little stressed about the workload already. Maybe I'm over worried about it, but I always strive to get A's and make sure my work is turned in on time.

 

[disneygpa]

I'm still here! Week 4 of C25K is in the books. DW is still doing great! She likes getting up early to run. Other than it's pretty dang chilly at 0330.

Class is a lot of work. Reading, reading, research, writing..... What have I jumped into? Guess I'll decide after this class if I have the time/energy to keep going on the degree. I don't really need the degree for anything specific. It was just something I decided to try and get. May have to reevaluate... we'll see.

Work has been insanely busy. I barely get time to look at the message boards anymore :-(
Sometimes I feel like I'm running an adult daycare.....

Coming up: Week 5 has a variety of runs, finishing up with a 20 min interval.

Going to be interesting how DW feels after these runs. I think she's got it in her!

 

[disneygpa]

Week 5 C25K is in the books. Donna did great on her first EVER 20 min run!! Avg around 13 min/mile. She says that she felt like she could have run further and maybe even faster. I told her to reel in the enthusiasm and keep running slow. We ain't racin' yet!!

Week 6 is pretty similar I think. Running intervals may be a little longer. Next week, will be a little weird. Due to some scheduling issues we will have to run separately. This really bums me out and makes me worried about her running on her own. But she feels like she can do it!

 

[disneygpa]

This is a sad update for me. We have done ZERO training this week. Our oldest DD is in FL right now hanging out with the Mouse. We are watching our oldest grandson this week. With his schedule and our schedules we just haven't had the energy or motivation to run. She gets back on Tuesday, so we'll get right back on the horse after that.

We've been staying at her house and sleep has not been great. They have a giant German Shepard and an even "giant-er" Great Dane. Those two knuckleheads don't sleep well and I can hear them wondering around on the hardwood floors all night long. Sure looking forward to a good nights sleep in my own bed come Tuesday night!!

 

[disneygpa]

Well, back to training on Sunday! Whoop whoop!! It was a beautiful March day, SUNNY and mid 40's when we took off. Since we took last week off, we started back at week 5 day 1 of C25K. (5min w/u walk, 5 min run, 5 min walk repeat 3 times 5 min c/d) We took it VERY easy and really enjoyed the run! With the world being so crazy right now, it was nice to get out and leave it all behind for a little while.



Training was 2.1 of these miles, the last .5 was walking home.

I've been kinda floundering with my training since Dopey. After giving it some thought, I think it's because I have not set any specific goals. Yes, the plan is to run Princess with DW next year. I love training with my wife, but I feel it just isn't enough for me.

So here is my new personal goal. Get my body fat down to 15% or less not really concerned with weight, concentrating on losing fat, regardless of my weight. How am I going to do that?

Well, my plan is to add in some body weight training (especially now since I won't go to a gym) but also because I can do them at home and that is best for my schedule.


Here is this weeks workout. I had to substitute bent over rows with dumbbells for the inverted rows. Never did diamond push-ups before, those were a challenge! Everything went well. I can feel the workout as the day goes on.

I'm also planning on adding some extra miles in. I'll keep them as easy runs, but I'm thinking maybe 2 or 3 miles, 3 or 4 times a week, as well as the C25K runs with the wife. Might toss in a longer run on Saturdays. We'll see how it goes for the Saturday runs. This means I'll end up running twice some days. Once in the wee hours of the morning with DW and then again in the afternoon when I get home from work.

Finally, I really need to watch my diet. During Dopey training, I got in a bad habit of eating too many bad snacks. I justified it in my head because I was putting in more miles. Well.... that way of eating continued after Dopey and I haven't been burning that many calories! So, cutting out chips and cookies :-( too bad, I like them a lot!! Upping my protein to a min of 120g/day and adding in lots more green veggies and fruit.

I'm feeling this is a solid plan. I'll take any advice or input! I'm always open for suggestions.

 

[disneygpa]

Monday afternoon, I went for a solo run. I haven't done that in awhile. It was nice to get out and run at my easy pace. The weather was again amazing for March in the PNW. I tried to keep it around 12 min miles. For the most part I did ok.



Tuesday morning. Week 5 day 2 of C25K with DW. Great morning for a run! Other than it being COLD!! 27 according to Garmin. Nice to get up and get going before the rest of the world! Love getting the chance to run with Donna, we chit chat a lot during our runs together. She begins PT for a pinched nerve in her shoulder today. I'm hoping the PT helps, because the alternative is surgery I guess. That doesn't sound like fun at all.



No other runs planned for today. Do some stretching when I get home and maybe relax a bit with a good book.

 

[disneygpa]

Friday update. Donna is on hiatus from running. She has a pinched nerve in her shoulder and it is causing her MAJOR pain. The pain is just exhausting her and she has no energy. She started PT for it on Tues. Hopefully she can get some relief somewhat quickly and start to feel better. Poor gal..... It hurts my heart to see her in so much pain.

So, I haven't run since Tuesday morning. But I have gotten up and done my workouts on Wed and Fri. If the weather stays nice, I'll go for a few easy miles this afternoon.

Covid 19.... we have 17 confirmed cases at the plant. Almost 1,000 under quarantine. And one of the guys in my shop comes in today not feeling well!!!! *** was he thinking!!?? He's getting evaluated today but I suspect my entire crew will be under quarantine by the end of the day. The company has been telling everyone to stay home if you don't feel well. Good grief... fortunately we haven't seen the grandkids and kids since Saturday, so the risk of exposure to them is pretty minimal. I've done everything I can to avoid this, my hands feel like sandpaper from all the washing and hand sanitizer I've used. Maybe it's time the company closes the plant....

On the plus side, the weather has been amazing up here for the last few days! If I'm quarantined you'll find me on the deck with either coffee, water, or wine.... time of day dependent... and a few good books.... and as long as I'm feeling well, daily runs and workouts! Might as well make the best of being quarantined!!

Everyone stay safe and healthy!!

 

[disneygpa]

Weekend update.

Bad news first, 29 confirmed cases at Boeing, 17 on the plant that I work at. 1 confirmed death and 1 rumored death at our plant. 1500ish on quarantine. I wonder how much longer they can keep the plant open.

Good news! Donna was feeling well enough to run this weekend. We did C25K week 5 day 3 on Saturday and week 6 day 1 on Sunday. I told her that running back to back days would be tough, but she insisted she was up to it. She struggled a little with the last couple of minutes of Sunday, but she still finished! She's doing great! We finished up Sunday's run with an additional 3 miles of walking.

Weather in the PNW is back to it's normal March pattern. Rain followed my more rain. Sure enjoyed the last few sunny days we've had!!

Doing my best to avoid humans for a while longer. Hopefully this will be over soon.

So Billy, I know you like to crunch number. Got any predictions about how much longer this goes on?

 

[DopeyBadger]

So Billy, I know you like to crunch number. Got any predictions about how much longer this goes on?

Well, it depends. The data from China shows a sigmoidal curve. It's rather slow and flat, increases dramatically, then slows and flats again.



The jump is from what I understand to be a change in definition. I didn't bother adding in the later days beyond 35 because it continues the flat curve. I'm evaluating the information based on when the positive test count was 500 or greater, and considering that to be Day 1.

China instituted the full lockdown on 1/23/20, or Day 2 (830 cases). When you look at the data, the important stat to pay attention to is not the raw # of cases, but rather the number of cases in relation to the total number of cases. This shows the "rate" of increase. When the "rate" slows, then it means we're past the mid-point of the sigmoidal curve and in the down swing. It took about 21-22 days from their full quarantine effort to see them reach the flattening of the sigmoidal curve.

Italy instituted lockdown on Day 13. Spain on Day 9. The US is on Day 16 and the first places to institute lockdown, like NYC, occurred on Day 14.

A few reached out a week ago to me to see what the data was telling me about Italy. I told them that 21-22 days from full quarantine would be 3/30/20. That we should see a decrease in raw cases on Monday 3/23 (but it occurred on 3/22). The real test will be to see whether Italy's numbers decrease again today because the rate has been decreasing for a few days now.



The hospitalization rate in NYC has been around 15%, so I expect to see the same around the country. So things are more likely to get worse than better from this moment in time.

Based on the number of cases per million, it's clear the US is not testing like other countries. So I've been putting a 3-5x multiplier on the US results because we still pale in comparison in testing to others. My honest opinion is that this level of quarantine will probably last at least another 8-9 weeks. The key will be continuing to watch Italy because their level of full quarantine was not as strict as China. So can we have looser restrictions than China and still see benefits after 21-22 days? We shall see. While everyone has been saying, let's not be like Italy, I think in a few days everyone is going to be saying don't be like Spain or the US.