Transcript:
Hello everyone! After about six months I was really missing making podcasts so I decided to start back again. I am going to limit myself to once a month since I have so many other creative outlets I’m working on. I also try to post one (1) running/fitness video a month over on YouTube so if you miss me, you can head over there to check it out. I’ll link in the show notes.
You may or may not have been wondering what I’ve been up to these past six months? Well, let me tell you! When we last left off in February I was training for the Yeti 24 hour challenge. I did finish that in March and it was quite the experience. I am glad I did it but it’s not something I ever need to do again. Would I recommend it to others? Yes but only if you want to challenge yourself with something different. It’s not something everyone has to do.
After reading as much as I could on the internet about training and planning, I had a plan but no real training regimen. So if you are looking for a niche coaching area may I suggest training plans for 24-hour challenges? Mostly what I ended up doing was eventually splitting my long runs up. So I would run 5 miles, take a break for a few hours, and then head back out for another 5 miles.
It helped a bit but I really think I should have started the splitting sooner and done some more. Not sure how much more but I think it may have helped.
For planning, there are a lot more resources out there. A lot of people that have done the Yeti Challenge wrote blogs about it. I think the biggest advice I learned and followed was to start in the morning. I started at 5 am and my last run was at 1 am. Then you can just go to sleep and not have to get up throughout the night.
I also think you are fresher if you start in the morning. Imagine starting at like 5 pm and having to go for 24 hours after that.
I also made sure to eat before and after each run. Nothing too heavy or greasy. Nothing that would really upset my stomach. I also made sure to drink plenty of water. And I rested mostly between rounds. I took a nap once in the afternoon and between the 9 pm and 1 am rounds. It wasn’t the best sleep because I was so worried about not waking up!
I also ran very conservatively for all of the rounds (except the last one because I just wanted to be done). And if I needed some walk breaks, I took them. It was a little warm during the day but not too bad.
The hardest part was the next day. I didn’t get to sleep in late because my dog woke me up and I didn’t want to sleep all day and mess up my sleep schedule. It took me a couple of days to get back into my normal sleep schedule and not be super tired.
After the Yeti I didn’t have much going on, so I just took my time to recover and slowly build up my miles. April was a low mileage month. In May, I decided to register for the virtual Boston Marathon. I figured this was the only way I’d ever “run Boston”. We all know I’m not fast enough to ever get a qualifying time and I would never be able to raise enough money for fundraising so virtual it is!
And yes, this will be my first official, unofficial marathon.
I’ve trained for two and wasn’t able to even get to the start line so I am determined to finish this one. Even if I have to crawl 26.2 miles. So, that is what I have been doing since June. Training for a virtual marathon.
Let’s pause for a quick ad break and when we come back I’ll tell you how marathon training has been going.
AD BREAK
So I started marathon training in June. I did really well in June. I started July off really well too. But then I got glutened. If you are new here or have forgotten, I have celiac disease so being glutened can put me out of commission for a while. I was out for a week straight because of it. And then I went on vacation so I didn’t get in runs for about two weeks. Although while on vacation we did a few hikes so that kind of made up for it.
In August I switched marathon plans. If you read my blog you know I remembered that speed work in Phoenix summers do not mix. I was using one Hanson’s plans and switched to the Just Finished. I was struggling through speed work and thought it was best to just dump it for the time being and focus on the miles. All I care about is finishing. I’d love to do it in under five (5) hours but if it takes me 7 hours to do it, so be it. I will crawl if I have to!
I then missed a week in August because I just let one bad day turn into several. My allergies have been acting up and I’m not sleeping well so I used it as an excuse to be lazy. But now I’ve realized I need to keep pushing forward so I am back out there and running. I plan to hit all the rest of my scheduled runs, even if my bed and/or couch are calling.
I’m gonna keep putting in the work and finally do a damn marathon.
I also need to finalize my route. I have an idea and I tested part of it out on a 15-mile long run. Part of it involves crossing at a four-way stop and running sections without a sidewalk. On my test run going out was great. There was plenty of room on one side but coming back it was covered in weeds. I had to run in the road and when I saw a car coming, I jumped into the weeds and tried to find a good path. There wasn’t one so I think what I would need to do is run on the wrong side of the road until past the weeds. It’s also a route that if I have someone available that day, they could easily stop at parking spots and give me cold water bottles or additional fuel if needed.
It’s hard to find a good route that is 26.2 miles!
September’s goal is to finalize my route, run about 175 miles, including my last two long runs. I also want to get in some more consistency with weight lifting and yoga. I’ve been hit or miss with it this month. What are your September plans and goals? I’d love to hear. You can leave me a voice message at anchor.fm/runsonespresso or send me an email at jenna@runsonespresso.com.
During all of this, I also had to deal with a frozen shoulder. If you listened to episode 18 you heard the story of how I fell doing pull-ups. Apparently, over a couple of months, I developed a frozen shoulder, most likely from that fall. I had to stop lifting weights. I started sleeping on the couch because it was the only place I could get comfortable. I ended up going to the doctor because it was so painful and causing elbow and wrist pain. I was referred to physical therapy and did that for a few months. I am about 98% healed. I have some limited range still but I can function now and keep working on it at home.
OH and a funny story! Or rather an awkward Jenna story… I was doing the virtual Pat’s Run in April. I didn’t wear the T-shirt since it was pretty warm so I was in a tank top. I was running along and listening to a murder podcast when I see this woman a block away. I can tell she is doing Pat’s Run because she is wearing the shirt. Normally I don’t say anything to other people. I may do a head nod or say morning and keep going on my merry way. Well, for some reason that morning, without thinking, as I pass this woman I yell, yes yell, I’M DOING PAT’S RUN TOO! And she gave me this look like I was a freaking nut job. I would have looked at myself the same way honestly.
And now time for Coffee Corner. I’ve been trying to finish Bate’s Motel. I have season five (5) left to go. Have you watched it? I think it is so good! I think Vera Farmiga and Freddie Highmore are excellent. Freddie as Norman is just amazing. He can go from this sweet, innocent child to psycho. And you’re just like what the heck? I’m trying not to give any spoilers away so I’m not sure it makes much sense. You just have to watch it.
We also binged Schitt’s Creek. Oh. My. God. Why did we not watch this sooner? It is such a good show! I was cracking up. David might be the best character. Again, if you haven’t seen it I highly recommend checking it out. I also liked how it wrapped up. All of the storylines seemed complete and right. It wasn’t like say Dexter where you wanted to scream because the ending was so dumb, lame, and made no sense for the character.
I didn’t read a lot in July but went on a binge in August. I’ve been reading some cozy mysteries and a lot of Gregg Olsen. Currently, I’m reading Closer than Blood by Greg Olsen. It’s book two (2) in the Waterman and Stark series. It’s written a little differently with several switches between characters, including the bad guy. It took a little getting used to in book one but now it’s old hat.
I also finished a little cozy mystery series by Cynthia Ellingsen. There are three books and they are all set in Starlight Cove, a small tourist town on the lake in Michigan. All three books were easy to read and the heroine in each book had to solve an old family mystery while trying not to fall in love. I really enjoyed all three. They were light-hearted, kinda predictable, and fun.
What have you been watching and/or reading recently? Any good recommendations?
Ok, I think that is all for this week’s episode! Next month I may do a book review of the two Hanson’s books I read in preparation for my marathon.
If you enjoyed this podcast, be sure to give it a follow. New episodes will air monthly on the last Monday of the month. I plan to keep this schedule for a while since I have so many other things going on. In the meantime, you can find me on youtube, Twitter, and TikTok at runs on espresso and Instagram at runs_on_espresso.
If you like this podcast, I’d appreciate a rate and review wherever you listen. And be sure to share it with anyone you think might enjoy it.
If you have a show idea, something you’d like to hear more about, drop me a message at anchor.fm/runsonespresso or email jenna@runsonespresso.com I look forward to hearing your ideas!
Until next month, I hope your runs are as strong as your coffee!
