My running friend from where I used to live described this podcast as "delightfully self-aware." She also said I was adorkable, so not sure I should quote her here. I had told her that I avoided my recent habit of "show up and blow up," so that might have something to do with it. It's hot here, my dog kept me up all night, and I have solved the fashion dilemma. Priorities.

How I Procrastinate

• Sleep with Rock Stars, the Gen X Sleep Podcast
• Country Fried Rock, Podcast Archives from 2009-2020
• Music Playlists
• Support This Podcast
• Dive Bar Music Club, the Low Key, High Taste Happy Hour for Music Nerds

Chapters

• 00:14 - Planning for a New Challenge
• 01:38 - Race Reflections and Training Insights
• 03:30 - A Night of Disrupted Sleep
• 04:43 - Core Stability and Race Preparation
• 06:40 - Discovering Treasures: A Nostalgic Find
• 07:58 - Preparing for New Challenges

Recommended If You Like

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Hey, welcome back to Mama Runs in Ultra.

I'm a runner on the downhill side of my 50s, training for my very first ultra marathon.

And this podcast is me saying all the things out loud of what the hell am I thinking?

So this past week I really just wanted to switch up my second long run where I was getting enough hills but going somewhere different because I've been going to the same place every single time.

And I noticed that about an hour and a half from us there was a little half marathon, but still had some openings and it was fairly reasonably priced.

And I was like, let's go do that.

So I mentioned it to my husband and I was like, he I have some extra miles I need to run before this race and then I'm going to do the race.

But I'm doing the whole thing as a training run.

And my training runs are all based on effort and much lower effort than like race effort would be.

So I have a history in the recent past of showing up to half marathons and show up and blow up.

So I get there, I say I'm going to go and just do it as a training run.

I get all excited and I take off at like 5k pace and of course then I die.

So I was really, really trying hard to stick with what the plan for the run was.

It was supp to be a training run.

It was supposed to be at a very specific effort level.

And I did it for the first time in a really long time.

I did not go bananas in the first 5k and then fall apart.

So yay.

And weirdly, I may have mentioned that I had a disastrous half marathon early this winter.

And yeah, I finished at the exact same time, except I didn't walk multiple miles this time.

So yeah, overall time was not the goal and I feel good about it.

I feel like I nailed the targets which were exactly to follow the effort plan.

And I did it and I felt great afterwards, so yippee.

So I do feel for folks who were not fully prepared for what they might need on that race day.

It was a lot hotter than it's been lately.

And it's normal for it to be hot here in the Carolinas, but we've had this real up and down weather where like five days of abnormally cold and then five days of abnormally hot and back and forth for the last like couple of months.

So it's just been a lot of up and downs and we are not acclimated to what is actually beautiful weather.

So some people were really suffering out there.

Still waiting for some race photos to pop up.

I did see at least two photographers on the course.

There may have been more, but I only saw two of them anyway.

I love a good race photo because as we've mentioned before, most of mine are all down step all the time, so.

Love one where I actually look like I'm running.

Fingers crossed.

I'll check in next time around.

Got a big week this week.

It's partially a cutback week, but partially an increase week.

So the long run is much longer this week than it's been so far.

But the second long run is very doable and it's all with less mileage overall.

It's just that it's all stacked on this one day.

So kind of fun.

It's not as scary as it was when I first started doing all of this training, but I'm definitely trying to switch things up and go to some different places to get the elevation that I need.

Although my one like go to place is great because there's not really a lot of traffic, so I don't have to worry about getting run over.

And y' all know that's an issue.

But I also would kind of like to maybe just see some other places.

Gotta pick somewhere that's safe and I'm not gonna get squished by cars or flying sofas or random wayward loose dogs.

All the things that are issues on my runs around, as you've probably heard.

So excited about it.

We are definitely in the hot weather again.

It is supposed to be in the lower 90s all week this week.

So I just went and did an easy effort afternoonish run today.

And I not gonna lie, I felt like garbage.

It was hard.

I was going super slowly and just.

It was hard.

I don't know if I'm just tired for the weekend cause I didn't sleep real well or what, but man, that's honestly what it probably was.

I slept like garbage last night.

I don't know what the deal was, but there's owls in our backyard.

Cause we live in the country and the owl is just like.

That's my immat meditation right now.

All night long my dog was pacing on the bed, off the bed, on the bed, off the bed.

That my husband was pacing on the bed, off the bed, on the bed, off the bed.

And finally at like three in the morning, I just got up and went to the other room and was like, I'm just gonna lay here with a pillow over my head.

And I actually fell asleep for the first time all night.

But yeah, not a fabulous night of sleep.

So that's probably why I felt like hot garbage on my run.

So anyway, finally making some progress with some of these single leg exercises that I've been working on throughout this entire training thing.

Some of them were really humbling because I wasn't aware that I couldn't do them, such as the pistol squat progressions that I can do on one leg and not the other leg.

Had no idea until I went to try it the first time.

Anyway, making progress there.

I'm feeling really good about.

That's kind of exciting.

Still not super stable doing some of them.

Like sometimes my split squats are just all over the place and sometimes I can nail it and I look like I know exactly what I'm doing then.

Same with my Bulgarian split squats, so don't know why.

Sometimes they're beautiful and sometimes they aren't.

So I don't know.

Making progress either way though.

So I'm feeling good about that single leg stuff.

Yay.

Uh, totally slacking on my pull ups.

Haven't done pull ups in a couple of weeks.

Need to get back to it cuz I as soon as I stopped doing those, I lose those again.

But one of the things I noticed in our race over the weekend was the number of people who I guess need to work on core stability both front and back.

Because by the end of the race they were bent over like towards their knees and I was like, oh my God, y' all are gonna be in terrible pain tomorrow.

So I do try to pay attention to my posture and not get too stiff in my upper body as I'm running.

I don't know if you're supposed to do that or not, but for me I just kind of do the weird a little shake your arms out as I'm running.

I might look like I'm having problems, but it helps remind me not to get too stiff when I'm running.

But I also try real hard to maintain good posture as I'm running.

And I've done a whole lot of like core rotational stability stuff as we've been doing this training block.

And at first I kind of didn't really understand why, but now I get it.

Like if I'm going to be running, you know, 50k plus wearing a pack, that I need to have the stability to be able to do that on a regular basis.

So anyway, all kinds of good stuff.

Totally nailing down what I'll be wearing.

Race day.

I actually wore the intended outfit for the big race at my little training Race this weekend.

So that was kind of fun.

Otherwise I'm feeling good about things.

The things that are, I am aware of that are coming up on my block are all very doable and it's feeling like challenging but in a good way.

So knock wood, you know.

So far so good.

Still having some issues with the ball of my, like the side of the ball of my foot on one of my feet with certain shoes.

And it's only when I'm running up and down hills.

I don't feel it at all when I run on flat.

So at this point I'm thinking it's probably something to do with not getting proper lockdown with the shoe.

I do the lace locks and all of that, but for whatever reason, a couple of the pairs of shoes I just, I can't seem to make that comfortable.

So I am still narrowing down exactly what I'll be wearing on race day as far as shoes go.

And I'm just gonna pack extras, I guess in my drop bags just for the sake of it.

But I'd like to know ahead of time that like I have choices that aren't miserable from the get go.

And I'm still taking every suggestion you have on making that work.

I have sized up.

I do have ones with really nice roomy toe boxes.

It has more to do with like the way my foot is getting jammed as I go up and down the hills.

So I'm sure there's an answer.

I just don't know what it is.

And Dr. Google has not led me in the correct yet.

Oh, I'll tell you something fun that I did discover though.

I was cleaning up a little bit in my office and I found a couple little things I'm so proud of myself for doing.

I collect ipods.

You know, like the old school ipods.

I really like the old ones without a screen that just like clip on.

Those are my favorites.

But I have a couple of old all different generations of ipods and I found my first one that's like the big heavy card deck one.

My dog's irritated.

Sorry.

Go get them, buddy.

Anyway, I found the.

My first ipod.

That was the one that's like a deck of cards.

And at some point I had bought an extra battery to replace the battery.

I don't even remember doing this, but yay me.

Because I'm gonna do that and play with it just because why not?

So we'll see how this goes.

But I'm kind of excited to like play with electronics because why not?

I don't replace the batteries on my little matchbook sized ones because you have to solder the new battery in place and I do not have quality soldering skills but on this bigger one you just plug it in.

Super simple.

So we'll report back on how that goes and check in the comments for your suggestions on trying to figure out this lockdown situation with the front ball of my foot situation on uphill downhill.

Cause I know that this is gonna be a problem by 50k.

So thank you.

Thank you for your help.

Somehow we've been reaching some new folks and I appreciate that.

I love when y' all listen.

Would appreciate those five star ratings in all of your podcast apps and leave a review in the podcast app.

It really makes a difference in terms of the podcast reaching new runners.

And that's really the goal of this, is that someday someone else who decides to go through the process of training for their first ultra will find this and find some of it helpful or funny or like, wow, she had no idea what she was doing because I don't.

So I'm telling y', all, I'm having people tell me what to do.

Anyway, you can do that in all your favorite podcasts app and I sure appreciate y' all listening and sharing the friend and all the good stuff.

Looking forward to this week of runs as I head out.

Cuz Mama runs an Ultra.