I am starting a new format to log my training runs so I can look back on them to identify successes and not so successful elements related to the training run. This week in increased my mileage a bit and got up to 7 miles on a long run for the weekend.
Here are the stats of the run:
Nutrition
Breakfast was 3 pieces of light wheat bread as french toast
1 cup of tea
Time of day
I began the run at 1:30 p.m.
Weather
It was 79 degrees and full sun with a slight breeze, very low humidity
Fuel on the run
One water bottle and my family met me at mile 4 with an additional water bottle. I drank some and poured some on my head.
Gear
Skirt Sport and a tank top. Note: the skirt sport started to chafe around the last mile. That will either require me to use Glide or choose something else to wear when I run longer distances.
Pace
I walked a little extra here and there; but maintained my 30/30 for the entire run.
Post Run
I felt fine after the run. I went to the farm and walked up the fields (approx 1.5 miles) in the sun. Very little soreness the next day. Mostly felt a little sore in the hip flexors.
Overall I was satisfied with this run. After mile 4 I felt like I was getting into a groove. I stayed on the roads that were shady and was pleased to get in a little more mileage with the walk at the farm as well – some cross training.
I hope to continue with this increase a little bit more each week/weekend.
This week was filled with a lot of changes. The weather was swinging from 60 degrees to 85 degrees and high humidity back to 60 degrees and breezy. We went from sweatshirts to sweating and back to sweatshirts. But the biggest events happening at the farm were events that involved the chickens.
The Big Move
The chickens were moved from the front field all the way to the back where the cows are. That was a long ride down the old rocky farm trail. The kids rode with Jeff on the tractor and Kevin and I walked behind keeping an eye on out. All was well as they arrived in their new location.
Hawk Eyes
Unfortunately, the new location for the chickens have put them right into the view of the hawks and their fledglings. Sadly two birds were picked off by the hawks.
The children had the opportunity to see what happens on a farm and what a dead chicken looks like. Adrienne has more curiosity than Kevin. She didn’t mind seeing the guts so much. Kevin didn’t care for it.
The Chicken Whisperer
Jeff likes to call my son the chicken whisperer. One night when we put the chickens away my son noticed that one of the birds wasn’t looking week. We pointed her out to Lynn and she took a look at it and was upset to see how thin and emaciated the bird looked. She wouldn’t drink water when offered it. So Lynn was going to bring it up to the house to give it some TLC. She was doing ok for a few days, but did die a few days later. However, it was in a peaceful environment and died in peace thankfully because my son noticed a difference in the behavior of the bird. He is very observant and has picked up on the subtle hints on the farm from day one.
Baby Moon
Baby Moon the calf is my favorite on the farm. After I fed him a bottle in Monday he pushed me halfway up a hill with his head! He was following me around like a shadow and was so playful! I had to take some pictures with the little love bug.
Savoring The View
Friday night as we were getting the chickens put away for the night in the greenhouse I saw the sky turning a bright pink with the sunset. As everyone else was working I ran over to the street to take a picture. The sunset was so mesmerizing. I couldn’t leave it. I was having an emotional day for several reasons and this caused me to take a long pause and soak it all in.
Lynn was walking back to her house and she also saw it and stopped what she was doing. We stood there for about 20-30 minutes and talked and appreciated that moment in time. It was so healing to my soul. I felt like my angels in heaven were painting in the sky a beautiful gift for me.
The Gifts
We really enjoy the time we have on the farm and are very grateful to Jeff and Lynn for sharing their time and place with us. There is so much to learn and see each day. Adrienne is a lot less fearful of dogs, she is getting braver around the cows and has finally picked up a chicken without fear.
My husband and I enjoy the peace and calm that nature offers and seeing what our children are learning from Jeff and Lynn.
I don’t know why this is such a challenge for me; but I am struggling with getting up to the double digits when it comes to my training for the NYC marathon. I should be past this mark by now; but life has been a bit busy and I haven’t been able to, and I have been also reluctant to.
I should have taken advantage of the colder weather we had earlier in the week. It was 60 degrees and we were wearing long pants and sweatshirts! But I wasn’t available to get out there for it. I finally was able to put aside a longer lunch to get in my 5 mile run this week.
Remember the Jeff Galloway Fundamentals
I had to think back to the beginning of when I started training for my first marathon. Jeff Galloway recommends that training runs are run at a pace that is significantly slower than your race pace. The purpose of the training runs is to get the miles under your feet. It’s not about how fast you run those miles. That is, if your goal is to finish the marathon and don’t have a specific time you want to finish it with.
That is my goal for the NYC marathon. I want to finish it, I want to enjoy it, and I took that advice to heart and put the miles in and ran it slower. I’m going to get to that 10 mile run and review the training calendar that I keep purposely ignoring so I can see how far off track I am from the plan that I made for myself. Then it’s time to get serious. I have to remember what happened at the Marine Corps Marathon and respect the distance. November seems far away; but really, it’ll be here before I know it.
The new runDisney medals were released on Monday for the Disneyland Half Marathon weekend. With just over a month left until the race, things are starting to come together in regards to the theme for the race. This means I need to get my head around some costume ideas!
Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend Sponsored by Cigna Race Themes
Based on the images on each medal the themes for each race is the following:
5K – Incredibles
10k – Monsters Inc.
Half Marathon – Toy Story
Attention Dumbo Double Dare Legacy Runners!
Good news for Dumbo Double Dare legacy runners! I read the fine print and answered a question I had been wondering for a long time. With the change of the theme moving to Pixar, Dumbo Double Dare legacy runners will be recognized with a special medal.
Since I have never done a Pixar theme for a race before this will be fun and interesting to pull together rather quickly. Thank God for Pinterest and Etsy!
Do you have any ideas for me? What will you be dressed up as for these races?
My Facebook feed recently blew up with rumors about several of the Disneyland runDisney races, specifically Tinkerbell and Star Wars, were being discontinued.
With the registration of Star Wars the Light Side still not open, I’m not too surprised if that rumor is true. Also, with all the disappointment at Tink this year and the changes in the volunteer work now being handled by a temp agency, I wonder what will come of that. The biggest complaint I heard about Tink weekend was the lack of characters and entertainment on the course, both in and outside the parks.
When runDisney had a delay in registration in the last it was because they were reconfiguring the race and the theme and logistics. So is this happening again? Will Light Side take place during a different month rather than immediately after WDW marathon weekend? Tink is always during Mother’s Day weekend. Would that also change?
If you were at the D23 and stayed until the end of the Disney Parks and Resorts presentation, there was a beautiful story shared by Bob Chapek, president of Disney Parks and Resorts. Bob gave a speech and near the end of his speech a cast member took the stage to read part of a letter. The letter was written to Disney management about two Disney cast members and a little boy and a green balloon. So after you read this story and you see a green balloon at Disneyland, think of a little boy named Trey who has a difficult time in big crowds.
Also think about all the other children, or even adults who may be like Trey who has a hard time in large crowds and does their best to make it through the day in places like Disney. You don’t have to be a cast member to make a difference. It’s about being kind, and giving a little magic to someone else. Paying it forward or just giving someone a smile. We get too caught up in our own lives and rushing around to take in the moment or notice others. This is actually something I am working hard to teach my children about this summer. Notice others. Be kind. Think of others. Make a difference.
