Keep Plugging Along & Finish Line Stories!!!

Welp, it’s not super fun when your workout yesterday had slower splits than the same workout that you did 2 months ago but it happens and you just keep plugging along.   Checked off this workout and onto recovery.

PS It started out FREEZING and I did my last interval in a tank top.

Things started off at the BYU track but we found out that 200m of the track was pure ice so we quickly changed plans…

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and went to another track.  20 x 400m (with standing recoveries after each one) and I had friends for the first 10 of them.  Yesterday was proof of how much I am motivated to run fast when I am doing it with other people because those last 10 were harder than ever.  Luckily, my watch played my music for me so I didn’t have to carry my phone with me for the intervals.

I did the first 12 one direction on the track and then remembered to switch directions for the rest and I’m happy to report that my calf felt great the whole way.

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I forgot to start my watch in the beginning a few times but somehow Strava recorded the mile splits so here they are but I’m not sure on the exact numbers for the first 4.  I’m guessing I averaged around 84/85 seconds for these.

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Finished up my run with Skye and between my w/u, workout and c/d I did 14 miles.

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Skye and I have the same excitement for cookies…

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Chicken Tortilla Soup for dinner with rolls and chips.

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Thank you so much for sharing your amazing finish line stories with me.  You are going to love these and I’d love for you to share yours with me too!  [email protected]

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Danielle!!!  “I had my son in December of 2014. In January of 2015, a friend of mine convinced me to enter the lottery for the Marine Corp Marathon. She had run it once, and spectated and it was near and dear to our hearts. A friend of ours was a Marine and he passed away in a training exercise. His dad has ran the MCM every year since his passing. I told my friend I would only do it if I got in with the lottery. I never had any desire to do a marathon, and I had just had a baby! Fast forward to March and the email came that I was in. We all trained together and then we were off to D.C. in October. The day was perfect! I had the biggest smile on my face! I crossed that finish line with the biggest since of pride and purpose, and then shook hands with a Marine who then gave me my medal. I’ve since ran 3 more marathons, but I still remember that first finish line! It’ll always hold such a special place in my heart. ”

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Elise!!!  “I just finished my 8th marathon at Chicago last week. A year ago I was almost 8 months pregnant and talked my parents and uncle into signing up to run the Chicago Marathon with me at 10 months post partum. My uncle agreed to pace me to a BQ and (hopeful PR). Fast forward to this year, 10 months post partum, 4 months of training later and we arrived. I was so shocked during the race that I was able to keep my paces and was capable of it all. I was pretty surprised throughout. Throughout the race I felt Nauseous at certain points, and had some self- doubt but kept plugging away. At the finish line I was so excited and proud to have beaten my previous PR by over a minute and BQ for 2021. I love that the finish line pictures show my uncle and I high-fiving. I immediately felt like I was going to collapse, pass out, or get sick. My uncle quickly put his arm around me and helped me through the finishers chute. I felt terrible but was also in disbelief of what I showed myself I could do and so so proud. Such a special way to end this journey with family by my side (and luckily able to literally hold me up until the post race endorphins kicked in).”

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Sara!!!  “I am 43 (almost 44) but relatively new to running. I never ran in HS or College. My “running career” dates back to 2013: that Fall I started training consistently after moving from upstate NY to Philadelphia. My husband was settling in nicely at his new job and my (at the time) 10 year old daughter Nicole was doing well, adjusting to 5th grade. I was at home, trying to make new friends and doing my best not to fall into the somewhat depressed state I fell in 6 years earlier when we moved from Texas to Upstate NY. I am not a gym person, never been, so I decided to step up the running I was doing pre-move. Running became my exercise, what got me out of the house at least every other day, my therapy. A few months went by and decided to sign up for the 2014 Philadelphia HM (the only race I had run before that was a small town 5K with my husband and daughter). Completely unprepared for the pre-race routine, the cold and no fuel at all, I ran it with a pair of old Adidas shoes and managed to finish in 1:36. Fast forward to the Fall of 2015, I signed up again for the Philly HM, still did not consider myself a serious runner, but I finished in a respectable 1:33. After the race, happy with my PR and category placement, I started considering the option of going longer and I decided for the Philly Marathon in September of 2016. All of my training was based on a plan that I got off the internet, alternating long and short runs. I was not paying attention to paces or fueling, always running fast. I ended up finishing my first marathon in 3:06 and change. I BQ’d for Boston 2018 without even knowing what it meant. But I was hooked up, I thought I could do better with a different training plan and I really wanted to run under 3:05. So I signed up for Philly 2017, looked for a different plan from the Web and started training. Training went well, at least based on comparison with the previous marathon training cycle. I was running a lot more, I thought I had it. My daughter, 14 at the time, had signed up to run the Rothman 8K that same weekend but unfortunately a few months before she tore her ACL, had surgery and was unable to run it. Those months were not easy and my physical and psychological wellness started to decline. I was running a lot, not eating enough and going back to a somewhat unhealthy relationship with food that I had on and off since my late teenage years.

I ran Philly in 2017 in 3:22, still BQ’d for Boston 2019 but I ran so much slower than my goal. I was crushed. The picture in which I am hugging my daughter is from the finish of this marathon. I was not happy but held it together for her, she had been sidelined from soccer and running due to her injury and I owed it to her to be ok with my result: after all I was really starting to focus on running Boston in April and I considered this just a hiccup during the process. Without a break in training or someone to guide me I started my road to Boston. It was hard, my body was in awful shape, I  was over training without realizing it and I was barely eating. As I got closer to the race, I had problems keeping easy paces and run longer than 8 miles. I still decided to go, did not want to waste the registration and hotel money as well as disappoint my family, after all the time I had put into training. The horrible weather conditions of Boston 2018 completed the picture. I started but could not finish – DNF, something I never consdered could happen. I had to drop out at mile 10 because of hypothermia. It was heartbreaking. After Boston 2018, I kept running, but could barely run more than 4 miles without stopping. I let summer go by and then got back into a soft training, thanks to my daughter. She was back playing soccer and running after a painful year on the sideline and she wanted to race the 8K that she could not do the previous year. We both signed up for the 2018 Rothman 8k. We ran it together, and finished in a little over 40 minutes! That was the fastest I had run in close to a year and it was the beginning of my recovery. The second picture is of my daughter and I at the finish line. It was a new beginning for both of us.

Since then, I  worked back to being more healthy and taking care of myself physically and emotionally. With the help with my family and a friend who has been coaching me I was able to start and finish Boston 2019 in 3:42, missing the qualifying cut by 2 minutes, but I did not care. My biggest victory was crossing the finish line and being back to the road of health.

Since April I trained for a few shorter races and I had two big goals for this fall: run a 1:30 HM and qualify for Boston 2021. I had to be patient, I had to keep reminding myself that my body needs fuel and rest, to trust the process, I had to re-frame why I run and what I am worth… but my speed has been coming back!!! I am doing workouts I  never thought I could and running paces that I did not know I was capable of.

Fall goal #1 was accomplished a couple of weeks ago: I ran the Valley Forge HM in 1:29:25! It was even faster than my goal!

My marathon goal race is in 6 weeks (Dec. 7th), workouts are going well, I feel strong and just can’t wait to see what I can do!

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Chloe!!!  “My finish line pic is from the Gold Coast Half-Marathon in July this year. I finally ran a PR of 1:55:46 – my previous PR was 1:57:15 from 2013, right before I got pregnant! I’d wanted to bring that time down but we went ahead to get pregnant after the 1:57 because we found out that my husband had a malignant tumor. He got it excised and went for radiation therapy and is officially in remission now.

I had 2 kids in 2 years and was really frustrated with my comeback after each pregnancy. I just couldn’t sub-2! Ended up burning out after my last attempt in 2018, when I ran 2:04, then bit the bullet and got a coach.

We went up to Gold Coast this year with the kids and my mum and brother, and my husband paced me all the way. He wasn’t able to get as much training in as me so he was pretty tired but he kept up the pacing and at the end was yelling “YOU’VE WORKED SO HARD FOR THIS! THINK OF THE PAST 9 MONTHS! COME ON!!!”.

And then we crossed the finish line and he threw up on the finishing mat – basically right after the photo was taken. Hahahaha.

He recovered pretty quickly after that though! :)”

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Allison!!!  “My story is from my first half marathon in 2018.

I was born with clubbed feet so running was pretty much out of the question. My doctor had told me I would walk but likely never run. I always told people that and never tried running because someone else had told me I couldn’t.
When I was 29 I was going through some big changes in my life and decided to run. I decided I wanted to do a half marathon.
I ran the Bluenose Marathon which is the biggest race in my hometown of Halifax, Nova Scotia. It was also pouring rain and my parents 35th wedding anniversary.
I remember running through the absolute pouring rain and I had told myself that I could walk around 17km. Right at that time my aunt showed up and ran with me, getting me through that hard period.
Running to the finish line, in my home, with my whole family there was something I will never forget. I was doing something I was told I could not do and through determination I accomplished it. And my parents spent their 35th anniversary in the pouring rain to watch me do it.”
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Have you done any of the above races?  

SEND ME YOUR FAVORITE SOUP RECIPE PLEASE.  I want soup every night lately!

What’s your speed workout for this week if you are doing one?  Did you already do it or are you doing it later on this week?

Do you have a track near you that you can use?

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33 comments

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Janae you rocked that tough workout and you are gonna crush CIM. Those finish line stories are amazing, love Allison’s as I too live in Halifax, NS, and the Bluenose is not an easy course! Skye sitting with the older kids eating dinner is hilarious, she thinks she’s 5 clearly.

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Thank you SO much! That means a lot Jennifer. Hahaha seriously… she has no concept of the fact that she is 1 and not Brooke and Knox’s age haha. In her brain they are all the same. Have a beautiful day!

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https://pinchofyum.com/the-best-detox-crockpot-lentil-soup

I just made this soup… SO GOOD. Stay warm!

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I need this now! Thank you so much Melissa and I hope you stay warm too:) . Have a great Thursday Melissa!

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Tears in my eyes, goosebumps on my arms – i just LOVE the finish line stories! Thanks for sharing! Have a happy day! :)

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They really are so inspiring! Thanks Sara and you too!

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Your chicken tortilla soup link goes to Amazon for the Fenix watch. Is there a way I could get that recipe?? It sounds delicious!

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OOPS!! Thanks for pointing that out for me! Yes… here it is and it is so yummy!

https://www.cookingclassy.com/slow-cooker-chicken-tortilla-soup-2/

Have a great day!

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Wow your training is absolutely inspiring!! And those finish line stories (*tears stream down cheeks*)
THIS SOUP. It has been snowy and cold all week here in Calgary. Sigh. Soup is the only thing giving me life!
https://www.howsweeteats.com/2019/10/tuscan-tomato-bread-soup/

Enjoy :)

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THAT SOUP LOOKS AMAZING. Thank you so much, I have to make it. Oh girl… I am so sorry it is already so cold for you guys! Stay warm and I hope you get some delicious hot chocolate soon!

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Awesome finish line stories!

No speed work here. Slow and slower until my hamstring decides to come back fully online, lol… My current plan is to hold off on anything speedy and see if I can work my base mileage up at a slower pace and try my first half marathon on my 55th birthday next March. It’s a HM/10K race so I can always switch to the 10K if need be.

I usually run right after I get off work at 1:30pm so all the school tracks are off limits and I assume they are locked up in the summer.( I have not really checked) There is one community park track that is available, but the surface is really horrible rough dirt and rock type with maybe some cinder stuff in it.

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You are being SO smart about your hamstring… those can be so tricky! FIRST HALF ON YOUR BDAY–> I love this plan so so much John! Oh bummer about not being able to use any tracks (but let’s be honest… the roads and trails are way more fun anyways;). Have an awesome day!

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These two are on constant rotation in our house in the winter.

https://www.afarmgirlsdabbles.com/lasagna-soup/
https://www.afarmgirlsdabbles.com/cheesy-pizza-soup-recipe/

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I am drooling over her pictures on her blog! I am going to make both, thanks Amy and Knox will be in heaven with the pizza soup! Have an awesome day!

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I haven’t done any of these races but they sound amazing.

I think I have decided that I will run my first FULL marathon next spring though (after 12 halfs… I think it’s time) – I’ve heard great things about the Eau Claire Marathon… have you ever done that one? Question: did you download a “face” for your new Garmin so you could have a countdown displayed as a reminder? If so, which one? I think I need some inspiration!

No tracks near us unless I want to go indoors. I think a lot of my training for the May marathon will be indoors on the treadmill since we get a good stretch of -40 in January/February!

And for soup – roasted butternut squash. I try to roast a big pan of squash or sweet potatoes at the beginning of every week. My almost two-year old daughter LOVES roasted veggies. And then you can puree a batch for soup as well. Yum! I think I have a recipe on my blog for the soup — http://www.willcookforshoes.ca/butternut-squash-yumminess/ – hmmm… I also posted about carrot soup, I think I need to try that one again, too! http://www.willcookforshoes.ca/carrot-soup/

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TRINA!! This makes me so so happy! I haven’t done that marathon! Yes, it really is the best inspiration to have it on your watch! If you get the Connect IQ app on your phone it allows you to set up the countdown there! STAY indoors for sure with those temperatures wow! Okay, those both look amazing. I need them now and that is awesome you roast veggies at the start of the week. I need to get in that habit again! Have the best day and I”m so excited about you training for your first marathon (and congrats on 12 half-marathons)!

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Girl, I hope you aren’t stressing about those workout numbers. You’re body is working harder than ever before and after the taper and some r&r you will be able to smash this CIM course and run that OQT, I have absolutely no doubt in my mind.

Speed workout for me is tonight! I’m going to try to run with that group that I mentioned in a comment earlier this week! 1 mile w/u, 4 miles mp, 2 miles hmp, and 1 mile cool down. I AM NERVOUS! Especially because I am not an evening runner, but I’m doing my very best to not back out (again) ;)

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That was JUST the pep talk that I needed! Thank you Annie… I’m so excited. Okay, I am THRILLED that you are running with the group and will you please let me know how it goes! DO IT DO IT DO IT:) .

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Hi Janae,
It seems to be so cold in Utah, I understand you need soups !
The classic “cream of leeks and potatoes soup” (classic in France at least) is one of my favorite. I love soups during winter.
That huge cookie seemed so good too !
Have a nice day !

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Hey Ingrid, ummm that sounds delicious! I’ll come visit and eat that with you too;) Have a wonderful day Ingrid!

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Hi Janae! Thanks for being open about sharing your speed workout that didn’t go as fast as you wanted. It’s nice to see that it happens to the elites too! And that is some mental strength to keep doing all the intervals (and there were so many) even after you didn’t hit the pace you wanted for one.

I’m looking for soup recommendations too! My favorite is carrot soup but I just got the Run Fast Cook Fast Eat Slow cookbook and I’ve been reading the soup section. I’ve only made the bison chili so far but I have a feeling I’ll be making more soups from the book this winter. Thanks for reading, hope you have a great day!

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HEY AMY!! Yes yes yes… it happens to every single runner out there! We are all in this together. I need to try that recipe, keep me updated on what else you are trying this winter. That cookbook is the absolute best!

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Hi Janae! I have a track a couple miles from my house, but I live in Vermont and it is covered in snow 6 months of the year – so I have a track half of year. Ha! :) I have a request for you – I was wondering if you could share some of your breakfast and lunch ideas, especially days when you do 10-16 miles in the morning. How do you fuel for that? As an early morning runner and marathoner myself, I usually have a snack before heading out the door (peanut butter and banana) and then a big breakfast after (oatmeal with yogurt), but I am still hungry again an hour later. I find it hard to fit in enough food! Thanks so much. I love your blog and look forward to your posts every day :)

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SNOW 6 months of the year…. AHHHHH! I will absolutely put that post together! SUCH a great idea. I am finding that my fat intake has gone way up just in order to get in enough calories to sustain all of this training! Expect this post soon. Thank you SO much! Hope you are having a great day!

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Skye’s little shoulders up while grabbing her hands is the absolute cutest!

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RIGHT!?! It makes me want to go get that cookie daily in order to see her reaction:)

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I just love you and I have a really dumb question.

What does it mean when you say w/u and / or c/d?

Thank you!

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I just love you and I have a really dumb question.

What does it mean when you say w/u and / or c/d?

Thank you!

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NOT A DUMB QUESTION AT ALL!! I use those to describe my warm-up and cool-down… so the non-workout part of my run! Hope you are having a great afternoon!

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Hi Janae,

I have a question on Sunday races in conjunction with Mormonism. I am just curious – are there special allowances? Thank you!

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Hey you! That’s a great question! Basically, we do what feels right for us individually! For me personally, I feel like racing once every few years on a Sunday is right for me (and I’m going to go to church after the race) and some may feel that you never should or you always can. It comes down to your own personal relationship with God and how you personally can best obey the Sabbath Day! Hope you are having a wonderful day!

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I just had to share that over this past weekend I finally made this Chicken Tortilla Soup!!!! It was sooo easy and sooo good, my husband and daughter even loved it. I DM’d you a photo on Instagram. :) Thanks for always sharing this stuff!!! Gina

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OH THIS MAKES ME SO HAPPY! It really is so yummy! Off to find that photo:) Thanks Gina!

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