After training for races for over a decade now, I still have to remind myself that training is not linear. You have times where you are getting faster or times you are plateauing or times you are running slower and you feel like you are going backwards!
On Saturday we did the exact same 10k time trial course that we did in April. Instead of running the course faster (I was POSITIVE I was going to run it faster), I finished 5 seconds per mile slower. It was weird because I felt like I was working way harder for the slower time than I did six weeks previously for the faster time. Every workout isn’t going to be faster so don’t be discouraged or let that make you stop trying, it happens to every runner put there.
This is SO true for our running:
We started the run off with a 3ish mile warm-up.
And then paused to fuel, stretch and take off any layers before the speed portion started.
It’s been a very long time since I have had one of these. I am pretty sure in 2019 I probably had 150 of these gels ha. They are by far my favorite flavor and I love the caffeine in them.
The 10k was rough. I almost quit a dozen times, each step felt hard and my breathing was heavy. I’m hoping that race day (12 days wahoo) feels better but I’m going to also welcome the pain and cope with being uncomfortable because it is always going to hurt during a race.
We then did a cool-down back to our cars and passed Great Harvest along the way… I couldn’t convince all of my friends to stop;). It smelled so good!
PS the workout I did was not a normal workout to do in order to prep for a 10k (it was the same distance as the race I’m doing ha)… I just wanted to run with my friends and this 10k time trial is something they always do 2 weeks before the marathon which is what they are all doing.
While the speed felt extra hard, I was excited that the endurance felt great! It was my highest weekly mileage since having Beck and I finished with 15.3 miles on Saturday!
I was VERY happy with the fact that my hair fit perfectly in a ponytail for the run. I told the girl that does my hair that it had to be long enough for a ponytail because 70% of my life involves a ponytail. Also, just going to tell you one more time about the best hair bands on the planet for running—> They stay put, feel awesome and don’t leave a crease in your hair. I will never stop using them.
PS it felt super weird to not feel my hair touching my back while running!
This sight brought me a lot of happiness after my run. Eggs, cheese, peppers, sausage, onions, guac and tater tots for the most amazing breakfast burrito.
We did a bunch of weeding and then sat in the hot tub for an hour.
Another wonderful thing about Saturday—> I had been thinking about my mom’s lasagna for a few weeks and finally made it and each bite tasted like heaven.
Just a normal Sunday around here! Knox and Skye both agree that the best snack on the planet is a spoonful of peanut butter.
We got out for a walk and Brooke decided to match me;)
And to finish things off with a HUGE highlight of the weekend… We had our first watermelon this year.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year.
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Caffeine before or during a run? Do you use caffeine? How do you get it?
How often is your hair in a ponytail? How often do you style your hair?
Gels—> What is your current favorite? Anyone absolutely hate gels?
In your educated opinion, what is the best fruit on the planet?
22 comments
Beth
I am sorry your 10k was a disappointment, hopefully your body is just saving up all speed for your race =)
My hair is up in a pony or messy bun 90% of the time.
I am SO So excited for summer, just three more days of school until my son is done with preschool and I am way more excited than he is. Summer is the best!
The Hungry Runner Girl
Thank you so much and I agree… got the bad one out of my system before a great one. I love that 90% statistic. Happy last three days of preschool for your son. I totally agree with you, summer is the best and we are all so ready. Have a beautiful day friend!
Victoria
Oh I feel you on the not improving workout to workout. It’s hard to experience but I remind myself that even if my pace/power/metric wasn’t what I wanted, I still got fitter from doing the workout and it will pay off in the long run.
Best fruit in the world must be either cherries or mangoes.
The Hungry Runner Girl
I LOVE that perspective… I still got fitter from doing the workout! Big picture is key with our running. I hope you have amazing cherries and mangoes soon. PS we have a cherry tree, you really need to come to a Sunday dinner. Have the best day friend.
Maureen
Based on all of my extremely scientific research ;) a nice juicy watermelon or ripe pineapple are the best fruit on the planet.
That stinks your time trial went slower than last time. Whenever that happens I figure I didn’t get as good of sleep as last time or maybe I wasn’t as hydrated or fueled as before. And sometimes it’s just an off day! I always say, one race/workout doesn’t dictate me as a runner (even if it sucks in the moment)
KRISTINE LIM CHEW
Coffee pre run. And pb is definitely the best snack! It is also Rivers favourite.
I have switched from Pony tails to braids and iys almost always tied up lol.
my favorite gels are huuma either strawberry or Blueberry.
Oh I love fruit. I would say grapes first and then watermelon.
This year has been a strange one …and though I am not running nearly close to my best times I feel like I am finding my stride a bit again. This past weekend I got in 2 runs and then we rode 26 miles after so now I am tired lol. Lucky today is a holiday weekend:)
Have a great day!
The Hungry Runner Girl
There is not much better than a ripe pineapple and now I need one of those! Thank you so much Maureen and you are 100% right, it does not dictate us! Have a fabulous start of your week:)
Jen W.
Um, with that last picture, I’m guessing you guys have watermelon toes as well as popsicle toes?! ha ha It makes sense!!!
I LOVE YOUR HAIR!!!!!! And, you’re right—ponytail length is a must for me, too. I love long long hair, so I think you’re brave for going shorter, but it looks fantastic!!!!
Gels—I haven’t needed any since fall, but I was actually back to using mainly Gu! I’ve run the gamut from Gu-Huma-Maurten-Spring-back to Gu! The texture of the Spring was just kind of odd, and they didn’t have fun flavors like marshmallow. ha ha
Best fruit………I’d have to say LOCAL strawberries (the ones that are red inside and not white inside like grocery store strawberries!). We’re just coming into local strawberry season, and I LOVE it–my favorite time of year—local strawberries, school is winding down, summer is starting, my birthday is coming up—all good things :) I don’t care how much money I spend on them, I try to eat as many local strawberries as I can bc we only have them for about a month!!!!!!!
Happy Monday, Janae!!!!
The Hungry Runner Girl
Thank you so much Jen and hahah YES watermelon toes are here to stay! I was wondering about Spring, thank you for letting me know. Okay, I need to try marshmallow Gu… that sounds fun. Oh amen, local strawberries are the absolute best. I am so happy this is your favorite time of the year (ME TOO) and you guys are just going to have a blast. Enjoy all of the strawberries and thank you friend, you too!
Sara
Ok, first the easy stuff, best fruit on the planet is watermelon in summer and grapefruits in the winter. I can’t choose just one! And just as I have a favorite fruit for each time of year, I have a hairstyle for each time too. My hair frizzes easily so I don’t blow dry it much in summer, I either wear it down and scrunch it and just let it be wavy, or I do a wet top knot on the top of my head. Easy peasy. All winter I blow dry it and wear it down. I don’t do ponytails much, way more buns over here!
I also had to add, that photo about success, really made me think about my own running journey. I think a lot of us, when we start running, because we start from nothing training for our first big race feels like a rather linear experience. You don’t know what you don’t know and everything is a milestone. But, once that first big race happens, that swirly success line definitely starts to happen. Maybe we set our sights too high? I don’t know, but it just made me think!
Mariah
Best fruit would be apples or strawberries. Or blackberries. So hard to choose just one!
I always tell my hair stylist the same thing, need to be able to put in a ponytail for running. I style my hair for work every day, but after work it’s in a ponytail or bun!
Love your sunglasses in the pic with Brooke!
The Hungry Runner Girl
Hey Sara! Now I need to know what you put on your grapefruit or do you eat it plain?! Naturally wavy hair… I am jealous! I totally agree with you Sara, it really is hard when you start and hit pr after pr and then those stop or they are harder to obtain and we think we should always be getting faster like we do in the beginning. It’s tricky! Thanks for sharing that with us, it made me think too. Hope your day is a beautiful one!
Therese
Did you know all things powerbar are back including gels and my friend owns the company and was always involved since the beginning? So yes powergels for the win
The Hungry Runner Girl
I didn’t know that… AWESOME! I’ll have to grab some powergels! Have a beautiful day Therese.
Wendy
So, so true about progress/success with running! And what a great attitude to have when your run doesn’t go like you wanted.
I just picked up a watermelon this weekend too! Yummy! I love fruit, all kinds. Blueberries are always in hand, but like in the summer, pineapple is my favorite. It’s a tough decision and really can change daily…ha!
I am not a gel fan at all, but I know I haven’t tried all the gels out there. I usually have a half a cup of coffee in the morning before I run, but have never had caffeine during a run/race. Do you feel a difference?
My hair is in a ponytail pretty much every day, until I get ready for the rest of my day… I did have my hair in a short bob 2 years ago, loved the cut, but it was so hard for runs because I couldn’t do a ponytail. The things we runners think about, ha ha.
Have a good Monday and start to the new week ?
Amy S
Hi Janae! Your haircut looks great! So much body in that pony! Sometimes it’s good to go into a race with a workout you didn’t quite hit, means you are working your hardest.
Have a great Monday!
Erica
I drink some coffee before hand. My stomach is so used to that I actually have drank dome during when I was doing a treadmill run. Probably psychological, but it seemed like my legs liked it ;)
not linear, totally. Just part of it.
Janine
Good morning!! Sorry to hear your 10K didn’t go as planned, but some runs just go that way. I love the graphic that shows just how NOT linear success is.
Caffeine every day – not a lot, but every day. I don’t have a ton before a run, and only during a run for longer distances, like more than 10 miles. My favorite source is coffee, but during a run/race, I’ve only used Sport Beans with caffeine (not sure if they even still make those).
My hair is quite short now, so no pony tail for me, but will use all manor of hat, barrette, or bobby pin to keep it out of my face! Ever since the pandemic started last spring, I can count on less than two hands the number of times, I have actually styled my hair. The ends tend to naturally flip up for whatever reason, so I generally, just tuck it behind my ears and call it done :o)
Auughgh! I really cannot stand gels – it’s a texture thing. I tend to use honey stinger chews instead – pink lemonade is the best IMO.
Best fruit depends on the season. Summer = watermelon and cherries :o) Winter = grapefruit :o)
Have a great start to your week!!
Christina
Oh wow you’re hair looks SO good!! I cut my daughters hair too and the first thing she did was test out a ponytail for dance lol she loves how easy it is to comb now.
I really need to weed my front yard I’ve been focusing on the backyard so much.
I always drink coffee before a run and my favorite gels are Huma since they are kind to my stomach. But I haven’t had one in forever because my longest runs have been 7 milers. Trying to get some base miles in before I train for a half on November. It’s humbling getting back at it after just running 3 and 4 milers.
Kathy McElhaney
No caffeine pre or during the run and I’ve also gotten away from gels – they both seem to upset my stomach. Runs under an hour, I don’t take anything. Hammer Perpetuem solids work well for me for longer runs.
Ponytail = 90% of the time.
I just got home from the grocery store and the fruit I bought included: mango, pineapple, strawberries, raspberries, cherries, and watermelon! The best fruit is Summer fruit – I love it all!
Cynthia
I’ve always used Gu and they work well for me. I don’t like the texture of the chia ones.
One of my favorite fruits is a specific type of cantaloupe—locally they’re referred to as Halifax cantaloupes because they’re grown in Halifax County, Virginia. They’re so sweet and delicious and I love seeing them appear at the farmer’s markets.
CHRISTINE KRAUSE
Your hair looks great! The length is nice.