I'm sorry to hear about your cold! I hope this finds you well on your way to running (and just generally being!) cold-free. It was cool to feel your enthusiasm about your San Diego visit and your emotional response to Tuesday's run. And it was cool to see your Tuesday run was out and about---I presume you didn't take treadmill and Lever oceanside?
Re: Streaking. Like you, I respect the discipline and commitment, but question whether do-or-die devotion to a streak is best for the athlete (or the holistic human). I guess it comes down to one's goals. If the primary goal is to streak, then the athlete serves the goal. If the primary goal is to be the best athlete one can be, then the training adjusts to the athlete---in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. The authors of "Advanced marathoning" (who still don't pay me) respond to the streak mindset thus: "Plod through a few miles if you must, but be aware that you're prolonging your recovery."
Re: "I’m glad I know when to rest." And I'm glad you have clarity on and commitment to your goals, whatever you define them to be :) I think it was in "Peak performance" that I first encountered the mindset that rest and recovery is an integral part of training, not something one does when one is done (or not) training. Deena Kastor, in her autobiography, impressed me with her attention to deliberate rest and recovery.
Speaking of rest and recovery and rethinking your end-game running plan, let me advocate for an explicit post-race phase. I think being deliberate with this aspect of my training has helped me return smartly to running and exercise after racing a marathon. Also, it has given me something to look forward to, to use as a carrot-cum-stick in the race's final miles. "Body, I respect that you're tired, but you're looking at two weeks ahead with *max* three runs. So do right by our past training and give me what you got now!"
Re: Taper. Training plans that I've used, modified from those in "Advanced marathoning", prescribe a 3-week taper for an 18-week plan, and a 2-week taper for a 12-week plan. In the 12-week plans, the "-3" week (à la Python) has slightly lower volume than the preceding weeks in its phase, but its primary goal is still race preparation, not tapering. Thus, for example, the "-3" week features two hard workouts and a long run. I found the authors' discussion of tapering (Chapter 5 in the second edition) helpful to understand the tradeoffs involved and to make an informed plan.
Re: How amazing is Simone Biles? Whenever I think I'm close to an answer, she does something that redefines "amazing". I will give up trying to answer and just delight in Simone being Simone.
Re: Reach. I find it simultaneously empowering and humbling to see the unseen, unexpected impact our words and actions can have on others.
Hi pen pal 👋 you always know what to say. But first, I ran 5 miles today outside COMPLETELY PAIN FREE (and with only mild repercussions from my cold). I know patience and restraint is what got me to this point in 6 weeks, but it's hard to fight the urge to just run, skip, and jump for joy all day. Now to responding...
re: Streaking — I feel the same way as you where if the goal is discipline and/or the streak itself, then go for it. But I just love sleep, stillness, and my sofa too much to ever make this a thing for me. (potentially famous last words...)
Re: Taper and post-race plan — I literally got up and grabbed the book to re-read the chapters on tapering. This is an interesting puzzle for me because on one hand I've rested a lot as of late, but on the other there's no point in putting myself in a hole. In the past I've struggled with a taper — feeling flat, getting sick — so part of me likes the inherent permission to experiment here. I don't have much to lose. As far as the post-race recovery, YES! I am going to plan that out as well. I typically don't do much after, but I benefit from upfront decisions so I never feel like I am letting myself down even though I didn't commit to something in the first place. The brain is wondrous, huh?
Appreciate you, your kindness, your book recs... all of it.
Dear Pen Pal,
I'm sorry to hear about your cold! I hope this finds you well on your way to running (and just generally being!) cold-free. It was cool to feel your enthusiasm about your San Diego visit and your emotional response to Tuesday's run. And it was cool to see your Tuesday run was out and about---I presume you didn't take treadmill and Lever oceanside?
Re: Streaking. Like you, I respect the discipline and commitment, but question whether do-or-die devotion to a streak is best for the athlete (or the holistic human). I guess it comes down to one's goals. If the primary goal is to streak, then the athlete serves the goal. If the primary goal is to be the best athlete one can be, then the training adjusts to the athlete---in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. The authors of "Advanced marathoning" (who still don't pay me) respond to the streak mindset thus: "Plod through a few miles if you must, but be aware that you're prolonging your recovery."
Re: "I’m glad I know when to rest." And I'm glad you have clarity on and commitment to your goals, whatever you define them to be :) I think it was in "Peak performance" that I first encountered the mindset that rest and recovery is an integral part of training, not something one does when one is done (or not) training. Deena Kastor, in her autobiography, impressed me with her attention to deliberate rest and recovery.
Speaking of rest and recovery and rethinking your end-game running plan, let me advocate for an explicit post-race phase. I think being deliberate with this aspect of my training has helped me return smartly to running and exercise after racing a marathon. Also, it has given me something to look forward to, to use as a carrot-cum-stick in the race's final miles. "Body, I respect that you're tired, but you're looking at two weeks ahead with *max* three runs. So do right by our past training and give me what you got now!"
Re: Taper. Training plans that I've used, modified from those in "Advanced marathoning", prescribe a 3-week taper for an 18-week plan, and a 2-week taper for a 12-week plan. In the 12-week plans, the "-3" week (à la Python) has slightly lower volume than the preceding weeks in its phase, but its primary goal is still race preparation, not tapering. Thus, for example, the "-3" week features two hard workouts and a long run. I found the authors' discussion of tapering (Chapter 5 in the second edition) helpful to understand the tradeoffs involved and to make an informed plan.
Re: How amazing is Simone Biles? Whenever I think I'm close to an answer, she does something that redefines "amazing". I will give up trying to answer and just delight in Simone being Simone.
Re: Reach. I find it simultaneously empowering and humbling to see the unseen, unexpected impact our words and actions can have on others.
Carry on!
Hi pen pal 👋 you always know what to say. But first, I ran 5 miles today outside COMPLETELY PAIN FREE (and with only mild repercussions from my cold). I know patience and restraint is what got me to this point in 6 weeks, but it's hard to fight the urge to just run, skip, and jump for joy all day. Now to responding...
re: Streaking — I feel the same way as you where if the goal is discipline and/or the streak itself, then go for it. But I just love sleep, stillness, and my sofa too much to ever make this a thing for me. (potentially famous last words...)
Re: Taper and post-race plan — I literally got up and grabbed the book to re-read the chapters on tapering. This is an interesting puzzle for me because on one hand I've rested a lot as of late, but on the other there's no point in putting myself in a hole. In the past I've struggled with a taper — feeling flat, getting sick — so part of me likes the inherent permission to experiment here. I don't have much to lose. As far as the post-race recovery, YES! I am going to plan that out as well. I typically don't do much after, but I benefit from upfront decisions so I never feel like I am letting myself down even though I didn't commit to something in the first place. The brain is wondrous, huh?
Appreciate you, your kindness, your book recs... all of it.