5k Prep

It looks like this blog may become a race-report blog, and considering how rarely I'm racing these days, I guess we can look forward to quarterly updates.

Last I wrote, I ran the Fast & the Furriest on very little training and shocked myself with my performance. Today I'm writing under similar circumstances.

When I ran F&F, I was already signed up for the Sup & Run 5k, but having over six weeks to prepare, I wasn't feeling a sense of urgency in training. As usual, April/May have been hard to run through. We're getting summer weather, complete with rainstorms, high heat and humidity, and tons of pollen. Add in end-of-year exhaustion and it's a perfect storm for waylaid training.

Still, I've done alright. My fellow CRTs and I have taken on a May challenge where we do 25 each of squats, pushups, and core exercises every day in our office around lunchtime. It's not much, but it's been a good influence to have them focused on this with me, it's broken up my days nicely, and it's keeping all of us motivated to eat a little healthier throughout the day.

I've managed to keep a fairly light schedule of two runs a week and have been easy on myself as far as heat acclimation goes. I've gotten at least one rainy run in, which reminded me that my legs actually can be fast when the weather cooperates, and just yesterday I tackled an interval workout (quarter mile repeats) that went really well.

I love creating workouts for my watch now that I have my new Garmin. Setting a goal pace for my intervals has been incredibly rewarding; I tend to sprint my first few repeats much too fast and burn out by the end. Using the workout function on my Vivoactive kept me within pace and allowed me to complete the full workout at peak performance. (I set my intervals between 8:50-9:00, not going for anything too gutsy, and ran them around 8:45, so it was a success!)

Anyway, all this is to say that I haven't been working incredibly hard for this race, but I haven't been slacking entirely. I'm not running well in the heat yet, so I'm planning to run conservatively, but based on my past 5ks I feel like I'll probably surprise and please myself.

There are a couple weeks to go until race day. Until then, I plan to just keep on keeping on.

ABK

A Brand New Garmin

I've had a total of three Garmin watches and none of them came to me brand new.

The first, a Forerunner 410, was a hand-me-down from a friend in the Sub-30 Club who knew I was looking for a GPS watch but wasn't sure what I'd like. He was upgrading and sent me the FR410. It turned out to be a little more watch than I needed at that point in time (I didn't even know Garmin Connect existed or how to look at data), and I started looking for a different one about a year later.

My second Garmin was a gently used Forerunner 10 from another Sub-30 friend that was more my speed and served me well. At the time, I was still using the Nike+ app, but it began to get really screwy. Once it flaked out on me mid-race, I decided to give up the app and go full-Garmin. However, once I made that switch, I soon realized the FR10 wasn't quite enough for marathon training, and I started to look for an upgrade.

That upgrade came in the form of Kristina's old Vivoactive. It's just been good luck that every time I look to get a new watch, a friend is also in the market and is kind enough to pass one on to me. The Vivoactive has truly served me well these past two years, but with my new legs and my running mindset, I felt it was time for a new watch, too.

The VA was the first Garmin I truly felt 100% comfortable and happy with. It helped me get used to running with a watch instead of an app.

Now, I always return the favor of passing along my old watches. The FR410 went to Matt before he started using a Speed Coach, a dedicated device meant for paddling craft. The FR10 went to Elizabeth so she could track her distance when we weren't running together. And the Vivoactive will go to my brother, who has taken up kayaking and has started using Strava to track his miles, but is in need of a GPS watch.

Elizabeth used the FR 10 well into her pregnancy!

Why can I now pass on the Vivoactive? Because for Hanukkah this year, Matt got me an ACTUALLY brand new Vivoactive 3. My secondhand watches have always worked just fine, and I am grateful that I've been able to test out a few different iterations without committing to an expensive watch all this time...But I am so excited to now have a brand new Garmin of my choosing!

Yes, we are using all three menorahs this year.

I took what I knew from my experiences with my other watches, did my research, and picked out what I think will be the best for my running lifestyle for a long time to come. Right now, admittedly, it may be more watch than I need, but that means I'll be able to grow into it as I continue to grow as a runner. (Read: Once I get back into full marathon training and aiming for a PR.)

LOOK AT THE SCREEN CLARITY OMG

I chose the VA3 because I liked the touchscreen on the VA, it's loaded with all kinds of features, and it's a smartwatch (not just a running watch). I'm thinking it may replace my Apple Watch completely. I was worried it would take awhile to get used to some of the features, but after about 15 minutes of playing with it, I've got most of it figured out.

Wednesday I went for my first run with the new watch and I am in love. The screen is so easy to read! The data fields are so easy to program!

This is my first watch with a built in HR monitor, so my dashboard not only shows my run data, but also my heart rate and stress level, among other things. In theory, I could start training using my VO2 max!

Some shots of the Garmin Connect app dashboard with all the new data available. I like the weekly Intensity Minutes goal, too.

It's super lightweight and soft. Like, weirdly soft. The band is unlike anything I've ever worn on my wrist before. I've never had such a comfortable watch!

Basically, I am 100% happy with it, and for my first official new GPS watch, I feel like I couldn't have made a better choice!

ABK

Weekly Workouts 10/31-11/6

Elizabeth and I are officially training for the A1A half - remember, you can get 15% off the race by using coupon code ALI at checkout! - so I've decided to add total weekly mileage to my workout recaps.

Monday: Happy Halloween! We created a circuit to do at school. I had forgotten shoes and Elizabeth forgot her water so we were a bit limited in our exercises, but it ended up being a pretty good workout.

We did each exercise for 30 seconds and did the circuit 4 times.

Tuesday: 4 miles over the bridge. I've decided to use the same training plan I used the first half I really trained for and ran well. That means our weekday runs will all incorporate the bridge. It's a good way to build strength and speed without dedicated speed work.

First official run of training - done!

This run was kind of rough. I needed a walk break each time we finished our ascent, but I wasn't stressed about it because we have sixteen weeks to get strong, and I know running the bridge consistently will make it feel easy sooner rather than later.

Wednesday: 4 miles. Better! Only one walk break and much more consistent.

Thursday: Rest/volleyball. This was the night of Matt's film festival, so I didn't get a workout in.

Friday: 4 miles. This run felt awesome. We both felt very strong and ache-free. We paused at the top of the bridge on the second ascent because a motorcade was going by beneath us on the interstate! Tons of cop cars, town cars with American flags in the windows, and a big RV went by before I was able to get my phone out. A helicopter followed overhead. I think it was Tim Kaine because he was in town Saturday for a rally!

This was the best photo I could get of the motorcade.

Unfortunately, apparently bad luck with watches is just my thing now. My Garmin splits were all messed up and make no sense.

We ran 4 miles, but this turned up. 6 splits for a 4 mile run? The moving time and elevation aren't right, either. What did I do that made this turn up?

I think our last mile was quite fast and I wish I knew if the data were accurate.

Saturday: Rest.

Sunday: 7.15 miles. It's been since Sanibel that we've done a long run, so I was nervous but excited. This run means we're really training and that we completed our first week with flying colors!

Seven miles, easy 10:42 pace.

I'm not thinking about our paces at this point. We'll think about setting goals for A1A in January, but at this point I'm just happy to be training again! The run went really well - we didn't have to pause for any kind of breaks, and we just enjoyed ourselves and the run.

Total mileage: 19.

Did you have a good training week?

ABK

Goodbye, Nike+; Hello Garmin

After Nike+ cut out on me at mile 4 of the Sanibel 10k, I decided I was done. I've used it since 2009, but this newest update has killed it for me.

I've officially deleted it from my phone and have charged up the Forerunner 10 I bought from my friend Kim last summer. I'm having some growing pains as I get used to Garmin Connect; I can still access all my information on the Nike+ website, but now that I'll be tracking new data on Connect, I wish there were a way to consolidate and merge everything.

I have some issues, and maybe those of you who are more familiar with Connect can help me out!

For one, the interface isn't very user friendly. The dashboard is crowded and hard to navigate. I don't like how it lists the recent runs, but I like even less when it just shows one run at a time. I know this can be adjusted somehow, but to what degree?

I don't like all these boxes, and I don't even know what those "Sigourney" runs are! I don't think they belong to me.

I hate having to plug in my watch to get info. I know the newer Garmin watches can sync wirelessly, but I miss how easy it was when using an app; my Nike+ and DailyMile could be updated from my phone within minutes of finishing a run. (Okay, no one can help me with this. I just needed to whine.)

I'm struggling with the fact that my lifetime miles aren't on the website because I've always stored them on Nike+. I have an excel document running now so I can keep those lifetime miles up to date, but I wish they could be stored in one place.

I began using DM after Nike+, so while it's pretty close to accurate, it's missing some miles. I suppose I could enter a fake run of 44 miles, and the small difference probably shouldn't bother me as much as it does, but it does.

The mileage looks comparable now, but the Nike+ screenshot is missing a few current runs.

Finally, I know that I can store my runs on my watch for some time; how often should I delete them? And...is there a way to track all my run information on my phone? I found the mobile app, so I'm all good there, once I figure out how to use it...

Really, I'm happy with how easy using the Forerunner is. Press a button to start, press a button to stop! I'm enjoying running with it. I really love how it breaks down my splits in more detail than just full miles! Nike+ never did that. Basically, I'm open to loving Garmin; I'm just impatient to be as fluent and comfortable with it as I was with Nike+.

Any advice on consolidating my lifetime miles or organizing Connect's dashboard?

ABK

Life After Vacation

I've been running again. Oh man, does that feel good. Of course, I'm still in the shoes I wore for the marathon, and my knees are beginning to feel it. I went on a wild shoe chase to find a new pair because the line I'm switching to is impossible to find locally in the color I want.

I'm switching from Kayanos to the GTs for a couple reasons...I'll write about it once the shoes are in!

Don't judge me for being picky about the color; I really think neon makes me feel faster and more confident!

Anyway, because ASICS is probably getting ready to release the new editions of the shoes, I had to order them; they should be here by Monday. I hate running in worn out shoes, so I'm keeping my mileage low.

This week I only ran a total of 8 miles, but I'm already feeling ready to build in more workouts.

I chose a training plan, too, but I need to tweak it a bit. It calls for four 20-milers, and while I do want to run more than one this time around, I really want to taper smarter this year and avoid burnout. I also want to fit more races into the fall...last year I skipped a couple of my favorite races and I think I'll try working them into training this year.

I went with Smart Coach again, but a more rigorous program. I'll talk a bit about my goal time once I get it all in order.

Some days I have no idea how I ever ran a marathon; my runs this week have been so sluggish. I just have to chalk it up to humidity and cut myself some slack.

I bought a gently-used Forerunner 10 from Kim and can't wait to begin using it for intervals and tempo runs. I'm still pretty loyal to Nike+, but I'm excited to have a simple Garmin for speedwork. (If you recall, I have a 440 as well, but it was too complex for me! Matt uses it now for SUP training.)

On the school front, I had my first meeting of the year on the 8th; it was fun to see the leadership team and to take a look at this year's big changes. I'm excited (and a bit nervous) to be going back.

I'll be going in to school this week to start setting up my classroom a little before actual training begins. I got a new Smartboard in my room and can't wait to play around with it!

My new Smartboard!

I got my back-to-school haircut! I wanted to do something drastic with my hair so...I did. I'm still getting used to it but I like it! When my hair is down, like I wear it 80% of the time, it looks totally normal. But...

I think when I go back in to get it trimmed again, I'll get the shaved part tighter to my head. I want it to look like a mohawk haha.

Maybe I should dye the short part...I think dark purple would look awesome.

Do you have a color-preference when it comes to shoes?

Do you like to take risks with your hair, or do you play it safe? I always figure it grows back, so why not play around with it?!

ABK

Summer Means...

...catching up on my reading.

My poor, dead Kindle! This was good timing to get an iPad Mini!

I'm currently reading Snow Crash, which is an older sci-fi dystopian novel my brother recommended. 

I love my iPad case. Those little owls and lightning bolts SCREAM Harry Potter! haha

Summer means unpacking boxes.

I found a bunch of old stories and drawings I did when I was younger. Hilarious.

My favorite thing to find in storage? This gem from kindergarten:

So the fact that I can exercise is the most important thing about me? Okay then.

There was also a nice little "wishing star" picture under which the teacher had written for me: "I wish upon a star for...to be a pony!"

 

Summer means getting my training done.

I'll admit, I haven't figured out all the cool functions yet, but I do like being able to see my pace just by glancing down.

Summer means eating my weight in fruit.

I have been demolishing peaches and cherries lately. That single mango is Matt's...I'm not a big fan.

There is nothing better than a fridge full of fruits for healthy snacks.

 

Summer means catching up on TV.

I read the first book and found it frustrating and slow, so I didn't get into the show. But now that we're suitably behind, Matt and I have begun watching. We like to start late and be able to just watch a series all the way through without having to wait for new episodes!

Sadly, summer is almost over. I have three weeks left, which means it's time to start planning for next year. In other fun news, I'll be throwing out the first pitch at a Rays game next week. That's sure to be interesting! I had to buy a baseball so I can practice my throwing arm!

What are you reading right now?

What's the "most important thing" about you?

 What are you watching?

What does summer mean to you?

ABK

On the Horizon

I think it has finally sunk in for me that it's summertime! That means some big and exciting things are on the horizon. For one, marathon training for the Space Coast Marathon begins July 7. 

My plan calls for pretty specific speedwork, so I've been on the lookout for a used Garmin that will fit my meager "fun" budget (more on that in a moment). I was really lucky...when I reached out to my Sub-30 group, I was able to get my hands on a gently used Forerunner 410. (Thanks Shane!) It's a tad bulky, but I couldn't beat the price. I'm so excited to use it!

I already kind of love the touch bezel.

The watch needed to be charged, so I wasn't able to use it for my speedwork today. Elizabeth and I went out in the heat and knocked out some intervals. She had never done them before - she's an athlete, but not really a runner - and loved them!

75% humidity is downright refreshing these days.

I refueled with a Vega Sport protein bar. Pretty tasty, but a little heavy for my post-run preference.

Also coming up is my trip to Ohio for my family reunion! It's been years since I've seen my dad's side of the family, so it will be really nice to get up there and visit with everyone. Matt won't be joining me (again, "fun" funds...we're getting there), so he'll have the house to himself while I share a hotel room with my siblings...just like old times!

My cousin Lindsay is my only girl-cousin on that side...my dad's siblings all had boys! Here we are sometime in the 90s, when I looked like a boy, too haha. 

Matt and I usually take a big vacation each summer for our wedding anniversary, but this year we didn't want to spend the money, and he won a weekend at a resort in Captiva Island, so we're using that instead! It's not a big trip, but it's just what we'll need.

I'm looking forward to getting away.

Okay, so why all this budgeting talk? Matt and I have finally decided to act like the adults people keep saying we are and buy a house! We close on June 26 (fingers crossed!), so we're really watching our funds. We purposely bought a fixer-upper, so once we're in, I'm sure the blog will be overwhelmed with photos. For now, here's one to keep your curiosity at bay:

Yes, it's pink. Yes, we're repainting. No, we're not sure what color yet.

The house is also why I may have to adjust my usual plan to run 12 races a year. I have two races on the horizon - an 80 mile relay and the aforementioned marathon - but I'm trying not to sign up for any others yet. There are a ton I ran last year that I'd love to reprise, but I just need to wait and see if they'll work out.

 

If all goes according to plan, in mid-July I'll get to meetup with some of my Sub-30 running friends, and I may even be at the MLB All Star Game...but that's entirely dependent on the contest and how voting goes.

This summer is certainly shaping up to be a full one...Can't say I'm complaining! The busier I am, the more fulfilled summer makes me feel!

Have you ever gone to a family reunion?

Do you like to travel in the summer?

Tell me about your first house-buying experience!

ABK