Goodbye free time

This is a brief post to discuss a last-minute schedule change. I was awarded more units, which means I will have less free time. I enjoyed the work-free Tuesday and Wednesday while they lasted, and I completed some tasks around the house that needed to be done. Or didn't need to get done, but I wanted to spruce up the place and complete some things that were left unfinished.

• 📝 Attach ladder to bunk beds
• 😄Setup new modem Charter
• 📝 Upgrade phone T-Mobile
• 😄Finish setting up new phone
• 🧽Mop floor of office

Crowned Athletics had a 70% off sale sitewide, and I ended up purchasing a number of items. I also bought some things secondhand from the Facebook BST group. The first thing I got was the Arabian Nights mint skort and bra. I knew I loved the AN red bra that I've had for a while. Then I got the Barbara Girl Pink and Blue Bra, Biker Shorts, and Reversible Jacket. Arabian Nights red flow top. I loved it so much I decided to get more from Facebook. Like me, people jumped on the 70% off sale, and some ended up with sizes that didn't work for them, so they let them go for a low price, around $28, when they're usually priced at $52 or more. So that's how I got the Changed Fate Flow and Solstice Sister Flow top.

I got one Golden Dreamer athletic cap (purple) and liked it enough to get another, the Poisoned Heart athletic cap (red). I organized all my caps in a rainbow and realized that I now have enough hats to cover the entire spectrum. I promised myself I wouldn't buy any more athletic wear this season, but the sale was too good to miss. I got to try some pieces that I wouldn't have otherwise bought. Now I am more aware of what sizes I like.





Given my new work situation, I don't feel so bad about buying these items. I was having some guilt. But after wearing the cotton Color Run shirt, I realized I can't run in cotton. The Flow tops are just so breezy, I can't wait to train in them more. I don't know what to do with my hair besides just letting it grow out. Therefore, the hats with the high ponytail holes are just right. It's turning cool in the mornings, in the 50s, and I'm grateful to be able to enjoy wearing pants and even long sleeves again. I registered for the Clueless and Breathless half-marathon race on Dec 20th, it was only $35. I might also register for the third race in the Run Riverside County Challenge series, the Palm Desert Half Marathon & 5K in February 2026. We were considering skipping it due to my pay drop, but now that I'm making more, I want to do it.

Also, probably because of the Bimbo race and the stress of adding two more classes to my week, I got sick. My symptoms started on Wednesday and got worse on Thursday and Friday. It was congestion and sinus pressure, then on Saturday, it felt like there were razor blades or sand in my eyes. Very uncomfortable. On Sunday, I tried to run, and my heart rate immediately increased into zone 5. It felt like the congestion was trying to push into my ears, so I just walked and covered fewer miles. I haven't run since last Tuesday (a week ago), but it's the best course of action to rest and focus on hydrating. The Mission Inn run is two weeks away, and I bet I'll be healthy by then. I just have to trust my training and enjoy it no matter how I feel on race day.

Coach Chat on Tapering

The LA Roadrunner coach's tip for week 5 was about tapering. A Taper Week is when we do less mileage. Not zero miles, but maybe half what we would have done the previous week.

I read somewhere that before we had smartwatches that monitored everything, there was an easy way to find out how refreshed you were. That was to record your resting heart rate first thing in the morning and put it in your training journal. If your resting heart rate is low, then you're ready for another hard effort. However, if your resting heart rate is high, it is indicative that you may need another recovery day. And I never really took the taper week seriously, until this time.

Mission Inn Run 2024 Training Journal
Day	Wk	Date	Dist (mi)	Duration (H:MM:SS)	Pace (min/mi)	Split (run/walk)
S	x	8/18	4.5	2:03:43	26.7	walk only
T	0	8/20	2	0:50:00	25	walk only
R	0	8/23	4.8	2:15:00	28	walk only
S	0	8/25	4.78	1:03:58	13.4	run only
T	1	8/27	3	0:42:05	13.8	run only
R	1	8/30	2.2	0:30:07	13.6	run only
S	1	9/1	4.5	1:10:00	15.3	hill walk / run
T	2	9/3	3	0:45:00	14.25	walk / run
R	2	9/5	3	0:41:13	13.5	run only
S	2	9/8	3.2	0:43:08	13.4	run / walk
T	3	9/10	1.3	0:26:57	20.75	walk only
R	3	9/12	2	0:34:29	16.5	walk / run
S	3	9/15	3	0:42:30	14	run / walk
T	4	9/17	2	0:31:40	14.8	walk / run
F	4	9/20	2.75	0:37:32	13.7	run only
S	4	9/22	3.35	0:44:05	13.1	run / walk
T	5	9/24	4.4	1:18:24	17.8	walk only
R	5	9/27	2.6	0:36:47	14	run only
S	5	9/29	4	1:08:00	14.5	run / walk
T	6	10/1	2.8	0:41:22	14.3	run / walk
F	6	10/4	2.5	0:35:51	14.2	run / walk
S	6	10/6	2.63	0:38:58	14.8	run only
T	7	10/8	2.7	0:39:39	14.5	run only
F	7	10/10	3.37	0:45:52	13.5	run / intervals
S	7	10/13	7	1:47:55	15.4	run / walk
T	8	10/15	3.75	0:51:35	13.8	run only
F	8	10/18	active recovery			walk only
S	8	10/20	6.2	1:21:52	13.2	run only

All the rows highlighted in yellow were intentionally either intervals or hills. Okay, so maybe it wasn't a real taper. In the week preceding my race, I did 85% of the miles I did the previous week. But I did feel more rested on race day. When you're training, your hormone levels drop. All hormones. And when you rest, your hormone levels come back up. So that you can start pushing again. And you repeat this cycle repeatedly. The LA Roadrunners training plan has a taper in week 5, week 9, week 13, week 17, week 21, and weeks 24-26.

Mark Lane-Hobert is an educational psychologist who studies motivation and mindfulness. He is also a runner. He put together a 26-week devotional to follow along with marathon training. It's in a Google Doc right now, which is no-cost.

Marathon Training Devotional