Wednesday, April 19, 2017

WWU - The Taper Begins

Not my taper, Diane's - but that means that I do get to run less, which is nice.  As much as I've enjoyed running with Diane for part of the distance of her Saturday long runs, it's been a challenge.  My body just doesn't like going the distance like hers does - which, as I keep saying, is why she's going to run a marathon while I don't even want to run a half marathon right now. 

Diane only (only - hah!) had 10 miles on her schedule for Saturday.  Now, I could have run that with her, but honestly, after the last few long runs, I needed a win - and by that, I mean mentally I needed to finish a long run and feel good about it.  So I ran the first 5 miles with her and Jeff, and then I left them at the water stop and headed back to the clubhouse, while they set off for another loop of 5 miles.  And you know what?  That was the right thing to do.  I felt great about my run, plus I had so much more energy for the rest of the day.  For me, running 5 - 6 miles hits the sweet spot of effort.

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I am in the process of breaking in a new pair of running shoes, which is odd as I haven't felt like I've needed to break in my previous pairs.  These are the same make and model as my older shoes - the Hoka Clifton 3 - yet they feel stiff.  However, I'm ridiculously thrilled by the bright color, so I'll deal with the break in period:
They kind of glow in the dark, which I love.

I keep track of the mileage on my shoes via Garmin connect, and I name each pair so I can tell the difference (which is necessary since all three pairs that I'm rotating are the same make and model).  This pair is named Walking on Sunshine, and yes, that song goes through my head every time I lace them up.

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My running peeps and I have a date tonight to see Boston:  An American Running Story, which will be shown for only one night only.  I'm really looking forward to seeing it, plus I already have my box of Milk Duds stashed in my purse (can't beat Target's movie-theater box candy for a buck).  If you're interested in this movie, jump on it because it seems like tonight is the only night to catch it in the theater!

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What does a runner do after a long run?  Why, read about other runners:
Hammock time!

Still really enjoying this book - and I was cheering for Kathrine Switzer as she ran the Boston Marathon on Monday, 50 years after her first eventful race there!  She has been such a great example for women athletes and I'm so happy that she's still running, at age 70 - she gives me hope that I can continue with my running as I get older.

12 comments:

  1. Yay for new shoes! I hope they break in and don't end up being a pain. Again, I get so irritated with shoe manufacturers constantly changing things on perfectly good shoes. You do realize we both went for bright yellow on our new shoes?

    I keep meaning to tell you Episode 49 of the Runner's World podcast is an interview with Kathrine Switzer. Fabulous!

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  2. Good choice on opting to run the 5 miles in order to have a feel good run!!!! As I've learned the hard way....that is very important!!!!

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  3. I always love how colorful your shoes are, but what I am really thinking now is that I need to get that hammock! :D

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  4. For me, 5-6 miles is my sweet spot too!

    I'm going to be reading that book for my "book club" on the blog--looks like it will be for June, since I'm still waiting for it arrive!

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  5. Wow! Glow in the dark shoes is just what you need with your early start times. Love the name too. And wow again--that Katherine is running the marathon 50 years later. I'm still shocked at that picture of the race officials trying to remove her from the race.

    I'm so glad you're back to running a distance that is enjoyable for you. 5-6 miles is still a hefty amount of exercise!

    Have fun at the movies--M&M's with popcorn is my kryptonite :)

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  6. Love your new shoes! Hope you enjoy the movie and the milk duds!! (one of my favs)

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  7. Yay for finding that perfect distance that makes you feel great when you finish!!! :) I love how you name your shoes. And I love bright shoes! I had to come up with different names for mine so they were easier to figure out on Connect, too. I like that they added the equipment tracking a year or so ago - I was doing it by hand only, before!

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    1. I wasn't doing a great job with tracking by hand, so I was really happy when they added the gear tracker.

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  8. I have to find a way to incorporate a hammock of some kind in our yard - you look so relaxed! Or your legs do LOL

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  9. Love the shoes, and the name is perfect for them. I track my shoe miles in an Excel sheet, same file I use for logging everything else like walks, runs, other exercises. I also keep track of the miles I walk on my walking shoes.

    Hope the movie was good.

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