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in Coaches Corner, Running · August 17, 2016

Running Survey, Part 5

Every once in a while I see one of these running surveys floating around the blog world, and I always find it fun to participate. I was looking back on my blog and I think I have done 4 survey style posts in the past:

Running Survey Part 5

Would You Rather (Running Survey)

I Mustache You Some Questions

Versatile Blogger Survey

Just Another Running Survey

I tried not to repeat any questions, so I pulled these from a few different surveys that I found.

would you rather

Would you rather….

1. Have a post race beer or post race dessert? 

Definitely beer! Usually it’s too early for me to want dessert after a race plus I always enjoy a post-race beer. I don’t really like sweets right after I finish a workout. 

postracebeer_thumb.jpg
2. Run with a blister the whole time or side stitch the whole time?

I think I would have to go with a side stitch because the blister usually gets progressively worse the longer you run.
3. Run alone or run with friends for every run of an entire training cycle?

I’ve always been a solo runner. Even though I’m sure it would be fun once in a while to run with others, that’s what too big of a commitment to run with them for every run of a training cycle!
4. Run a flat race in the heat or a hilly race in the cold? 

Hilly race in the cold. I seem to do better racing in the cold, plus I think my body likes some variety when racing, especially for longer distances. 

cold post race
5. Run a 5k or a marathon? 

Right now I probably couldn’t do either. But in general I prefer the marathon!
6. Run without music or run without your GPS?

Definitely without music. I haven’t run with music in years, other than when I run on the treadmill. And I find it really hard to leave my GPS at home.
7. Train through winter for a spring race or through summer for a fall race?

I’ve always done better with summer training for a fall race. I tend to pick late fall races so my training typically starts in August. The one year I ran a spring marathon my training was constantly derailed due to winter weather. 

finish.png
8. Would you rather give up running for 1 year to get a BQ (Boston Marathon qualifying time) or never BQ but run as much as you want?

I would rather never BQ and run as much as I want. I would trade a lot of things to never get injured again!
9. Always run in shorts or always run in tights?

I really don’t like wearing running tights, so I would have to go with shorts. I know this would be pretty brutal in the winter but maybe I could wear some compression socks and it wouldn’t be too bad:)

photo5.jpg
10. Run an ultra marathon or do a triathlon?

I can’t swim or bike, so I would have to go with the ultra. I think it would be fun to do an ultra one day. Ya know, if I could stop getting hurt.

Pick a few questions and share your answers!

I’m joining the coaches’ corner link-up with Running on Happy, Suzlyfe, Crazy Running Girl, and Coach Debbie Runs! 

[Tweet “Learn more about @runningoutowine from this #running #survey! #coachescorner”]

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. meredith @ cookie chrunicles says

    August 17, 2016 at 5:48 am

    I love a good running survey! I haven’t done this one, maybe I will!

    • Lisa @ Running Out Of Wine says

      August 17, 2016 at 7:50 pm

      Its nice to change things up a bit every once in a while and just answer some questions about running stuff:)

  2. Susie @ Suzlyfe says

    August 17, 2016 at 6:40 am

    These are really good! I would take the beer, the running forever sans BQ (we injured kids know the struggle), give me a marathon any and every day (but make sure that I am prepped for it, lol), and throw my GPS out the window (I rarely use it anyway!).

    • Lisa @ Running Out Of Wine says

      August 17, 2016 at 7:50 pm

      I would definitely not care about Boston if I could run and not get injured!

  3. Wendy@Taking the Long Way Home says

    August 17, 2016 at 8:00 am

    I don’t like these questions! They’re making me consider tough choices! LOL!

    • Lisa @ Running Out Of Wine says

      August 17, 2016 at 7:51 pm

      Haha yea some were tough for me too! Glad we don’t really have to choose:)

  4. Kristina says

    August 17, 2016 at 8:05 am

    The blister or side stitch question is so hard! I think I would have to go with the side stitch too. With the blister you have no choice of it getting better as the run goes on. It can only get worse. With the side stitch, even if it didn’t get better, you could at least HOPE that it would!

    • Lisa @ Running Out Of Wine says

      August 17, 2016 at 7:51 pm

      Exactly! Blisters can last for so long!

  5. Michael Anderson says

    August 17, 2016 at 8:08 am

    Fun answer and some good questions!

    BUT …

    Your answer to Question #1 is OBVIOUSLY WRONG!

    Why?

    Because the correct answer is to have dessert … With a beer to wash it down. 😀

    • Lisa @ Running Out Of Wine says

      August 17, 2016 at 7:52 pm

      Haha, I suppose that’s true. Maybe I’ll just save my dessert for a bit until I am ready for it:)

  6. Laura @ This Runner's Recipes says

    August 17, 2016 at 8:37 am

    Fun questions! I’ll take the beer after a race, hilly and cold marathon, running alone, and shorts all year long. The blister and side stitch one is tricky, but I would almost choose the blister!

    • Lisa @ Running Out Of Wine says

      August 17, 2016 at 7:53 pm

      The blister and side stitch was a tricky one for me too. I just wouldn’t want to have to deal with a blister getting worse throughout the run!

  7. Lesley says

    August 17, 2016 at 9:04 am

    I’m dealing with a blister right now, so I’d have to go with the side stitch. Those can work themselves out, but a blister hurts! I’d also chose to run whenever and never BQ. I have no clue if I’ll ever be ready to tackle a marathon, but I don’t want to do one right now.

    • Lisa @ Running Out Of Wine says

      August 17, 2016 at 7:53 pm

      I am with you on the blister! Those can last for so long!

  8. Brie @ Lean, Clean, & Brie says

    August 17, 2016 at 9:29 am

    Running surveys are always so fun! I had a lot of similar answers to the questions. I am definitely a post-race beer girl too. As soon as I turned 21, racing got so much funner because I could always look forward to that beer at the finish! 🙂

    • Lisa @ Running Out Of Wine says

      August 17, 2016 at 7:55 pm

      I bet that became a nice perk to racing! I didnt run my first race until I was 24, so I never really had to worry about that.

  9. Suzy says

    August 17, 2016 at 9:49 am

    We have the same answers except I think I’d go with the blisters.

    • Lisa @ Running Out Of Wine says

      August 17, 2016 at 7:55 pm

      Maybe I have never had a really bad side stitch, because I really wouldn’t want to have to deal with a blister!

  10. Sarah @ BucketListTummy says

    August 17, 2016 at 10:27 am

    These are fun! I think I would love to try a triathalon, I would enjoy the different muscles working and different scenery. An ultra sounds wayyy too long! I’d also rather run hills in the cold – the heat is just.the.worst. Beer right after the run, but maybe ice cream later 🙂

    • Lisa @ Running Out Of Wine says

      August 17, 2016 at 7:56 pm

      I would go with beer right after the run and ice cream later too! That sounds perfect:)

  11. Karen says

    August 17, 2016 at 1:19 pm

    I would trade a whole lot of things to run happy and never get injured again – I hear ya loud and clear 🙂
    I can’t make a choice between music and GPS lol I love both! I’d give up the watch though if someone made me.

    • Lisa @ Running Out Of Wine says

      August 17, 2016 at 7:57 pm

      Wouldn’t it be great to never get injured again?!?

  12. Megan @ Meg Go Run says

    August 17, 2016 at 2:20 pm

    I don’t think I knew you didn’t run with music! Do you listen to podcasts? If so, which ones do you like?

    • Lisa @ Running Out Of Wine says

      August 17, 2016 at 7:58 pm

      Yep I stopped running with music about 2 years ago. I listen to podcast sometimes. I like Run to the Top and Diz Runs. I am always looking for new ones though!

  13. Michele @ paleorunningmomma says

    August 17, 2016 at 7:40 pm

    Ooh I like these 🙂 I’m currently running without a gps or music and have been almost all summer. Definitely hilly and cold and shorts over tights. But I think I’d have to go with dessert over beer since I hate beer, and blister over side stitch.

    • Lisa @ Running Out Of Wine says

      August 17, 2016 at 8:00 pm

      Hopefully they would have paleo desserts available after the race!:)

  14. Rachel says

    August 17, 2016 at 8:47 pm

    This is awesome. I would opt for a blister because I can’t run through side stitches. Mine never seem to go away! Thanks for linking up 🙂

    • Lisa @ Running Out Of Wine says

      August 18, 2016 at 5:41 am

      I definitely wouldn’t want a side stitch through an entire run either- it’s a tough choice!

  15. Kristy from Southern In Law says

    August 18, 2016 at 5:39 am

    So fun!

    I have to agree with you on the blisters. Eek! I cringed even just reading that question!

  16. Rachael @ Catch me if you can says

    August 19, 2016 at 3:05 pm

    i love running in the cold too! a lot of people i know hate it but it gets so hot here in houston i will take the cold any day! one day Ill get to run in the snow then my running life will be complete 🙂 i totally agree with you on running in shorts i hate running in tights I dont know why i just hate it 😛

    • Lisa @ Running Out Of Wine says

      August 20, 2016 at 6:04 am

      I don’t love the really cold days for running but cooler weather is definitely nice! When its too cold I feel like my muscles won’t even work properly!

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Alright, my last post about the Richmond Marathon Alright, my last post about the Richmond Marathon (maybe). This one is about lessons learned/areas for improvement.

1) Starting in the right corral- I knew I wanted to start a little slow but I think I started too far back and I ended up boxed in later in the race. 

2) Increasing fueling- I think I did the best I could on this day but now that I know more about what works/doesn’t work for me I think I can try to get my carbs/hr a little higher for next time

3) Self-doubt- On paper I knew my training showed I could run a certain time. My coach knew I could run a certain time. But deep down did I believe I could run that time? I’m not really sure.

4) My right piriformis- This little muscle has been giving me trouble FOREVER and it likes to rear its ugly head the most during races. I’m working with a PT but it’s hard to address the issue when I can go months without any problems and then at mile 15 of a marathon it starts acting up. So while this is certainly an area for improvement I am not really sure what I’ll be able to do to keep it from happening next time.

5) Ignore the data leading up to the race- During race week my sleep scores were horrible, my HRV tanked, and my watch told me I was “strained”. I might just stop wearing it during the taper next time.

What lessons have you learned during a marathon or big race?

@richmondmarathon #racerecap
It’s been 5 days since the Richmond Marathon and i It’s been 5 days since the Richmond Marathon and it feels like a lifetime ago! I am working on my full race recap which I will post on my website but I wanted to share some reflections on here. Today I want to focus on what went well. Every finish line is an accomplishment, and while every race can teach us something I think it’s always important to focus on the positive.

First off, Richmond was a great race with amazing crowd support! There were some hills (a few steeper than I expected) but nothing crazy.

Fueling went well- after my train wreck of a run a few weeks ago I had to adjust my fueling plan and took out the Tailwind High Carb and went back to regular Skratch instead. I tried to make up for the difference with gels but my overall carbs per hour was a little less than it had been when using the Tailwind. I think I got about 65 g/hour so I’d like to get that up a bit next time but I didn’t get nauseous and took gels up until the end of the race.

Shoes felt good- during that same training run I had some top of foot soreness from my laces. I changed my lacing technique and had no issues on race day. 

Mindset- I did a lot of work preparing for the race mentally and was able to use those strategies during the race. I focused on one mile at a time and shifted my goals when I knew my original goal was not going to happen. 

Pacing- Even though I didn’t run my goal pace I was able to run fairly consistently without drastically slowing down at the end. 

Recovery- I felt pretty good following the race and wasn’t even sore anymore by Tuesday. This was probably the least sore I’ve been after a marathon.

Strong training cycle- this year I feel like I’ve been clawing my way back to where I was a year ago after several illnesses last winter and spring. I had a great training cycle with @lauranorrisrunning and I know I’ve made more progress than my race time shows.

Marathons are a huge investment so I really tried to make the most of the experience!

@richmondmarathon #racerecap
Happy Medal Monday! I can’t believe the Richmond M Happy Medal Monday! I can’t believe the Richmond Marathon was only 2 days ago. I’m barely sore (probably because I was trained for a faster time than I ran) and am feeling good.

I included a list of my marathon times on the last slide here, which I posted in my stories yesterday. I got some messages about how others can relate to feeling like their times “reset” at a certain point- whether it was after an injury, having kids, or just time off from running.

I think we can get so caught up in PRs that it may take away from the overall progress made in the process of training. Sure, there are runners who come back from having kids and immediately set a new lifetime PR. But many of us will need to chip away at our times to get to where we want to be.

Focusing on progress and the gains made in a training cycle vs a specific race time can help to keep things in perspective!

Now, I’m trying to figure out spring racing plans. What’s everyone running this spring?

#medalmonday
What a day! This race (and really, this week) was What a day! This race (and really, this week) was a rollercoaster. I knew pretty early on that my legs and my lungs were not feeling my goal pace. Each time I sped up it felt really hard- way too hard to not even be at 10 miles yet. So I just focused on running the effort that my body would allow. I used all the mental strategies I had to get through each mile. Ultimately, I wanted to run faster than my marathon last November, which I did by almost 2 minutes, making this a postpartum PR. More importantly, I smiled almost the whole time.

After finishing we had to rush to get out of our hotel room and spent the whole afternoon driving home. Over the past 2 days I’ve spent almost 10 hours in the car.

More to come soon…just hoping to get home and get some rest soon!

#richmondmarathon
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